Blood Bags & Human Feelings
by sleepinghearts
Summary: Lucy Monroe catches the eyes of a certain Captain Hawkeye Pierce and just can't seem to shake him off. Will she be able to control herself around him or will she let herself slip and drip dry the Captain of his life? Hawkeye/OC (The rating will probably change to M in the future.)
1. Chapter 1

_[Author's Note: Yeah, so I've been watching The Vampire Diaries a lot lately, and I've recently become obsessed with Misha Collins and I'm totally in love with Alan Alda and then Misha posted on his Twitter a photo of him and Mike Farrell, so I've become obsessed with Mike (again) now too, and then I started thinking in the shower, and….. Well, this was the product. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did in the shower…. That sounded dirty…. Heh.]_

**DISCLAIMER: I own none of these characters, nor do I own the show. This was done purely out of my own imagination.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_I've been a vampire for as long as I can remember._

"Give me a bag of O positive, stat!"

_I've also been a doctor for as long as I can remember._

Bodies in the operating room moved quickly, ushering bodies in and out, while the surgeons and nurses worked as quick and steady as they could to accommodate all who were wounded.

_ It still amazes me how much the medical field has grown over the past fifty, hundred years. I have no doubt it will continue to grow._

"Scalpel."

_My name is Lucy Monroe and I save lives at the M*A*S*H 4077__th__._

Eight hours of nonstop meatball surgery left the entire unit exhausted. Even Lucy, despite being a vampire. Everyone headed to the mess tent for a cup of hot coffee and something to eat.

Lucy had been alive for well over three hundred years, thanks to the never-ending life of being a vampire. She had seen kings and queens grow, nations rise and fall, and wars come and go. This was just another experience for her.

Walking to the mess tent, she noticed Corporal Radar O'Reily with a clipboard. A sudden thought floated through her head and she made her way across the compound towards him.

"Afternoon, Radar."

"Oh, Lieutenant! Hi! I was just about to send this list off. It's everything we need that we're running low on."

Perfect. "Radar, I was wondering if you could add something to that list for me."

Lucy had been starving herself from human blood for weeks now, and wasn't sure how much longer she would last without it. She could only take so much of animal blood for a time being. Her body was not made for animal blood—it was made for _human_ blood. It wasn't good when she got too hungry, either.

"What's that?"

Lucy leaned down, looking Radar in the eyes. Her pupils dilated some while talking to him. "I need you to put an extra hundred bags of blood for me. Can you do that?"

A dazed look washed across Radar's face as she compelled him. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I can do that. But what for?"

"Let's say I'm doing an experiment."

"Oh, alright." He wrote it down on his clipboard and looked back up, smiling. "Anything else, ma'am?"

"When the shipment arrives, you come straight to me, you understand?"

"Yep! No problem."

"Good. Now, if anyone asks, we never had this conversation."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lucy smiled, nodded, and shoved her hands back in her pockets, walking back to the mess tent. She grabbed a piping hot cup of joe and sat down at the usual table that held Captains BJ Hunnicut and Hawkeye Pierce, Father Mulchahy, Majors Margaret Houlihan and Charles Emerson Winchester III, Sargent Maxwell Klinger, Corporal Radar O'Reily, and Colonel Potter. And Lucy was one of them now.

"Look who decided to show up," Hawkeye quipped, nudging the Lieutenant.

She rolled her eyes at him, smiling and taking a sip from her cup.

"I had some business to take care of, Pierce."

"What, so now its Pierce? After what a splendid night we had—"

Lucy turned her head, her blue eyes piercing his. "While _you_ might have _dreamt_ of me coming over, I distinctly do not remember ever being _seduced_ by you, Captain and coming with you to wherever you take nurses these days."

The entire table 'ooo'd' as Hawkeye was burned by Lucy's teasing words.

"Ouch. She told you, Hawk," BJ laughed.

Hawkeye made a face at him and then at Lucy, only grinning when she went back to her coffee. Lucy had loved to play it cool and hard to get with Hawkeye, not giving in to his seducing ways just yet. While she'd come to like him very much and they did have great times together, she was still frightened of being too attached during a war. What would happen after the war? Everyone would go their separate ways, that's what.

"I'll have you soon enough. You'll see."

"Alright, alright. Would you two just stop already and go out or something? Please, Lucy. I can't take anymore of this endless teasing between you two." Potter had whined.

"Here, here," said Charles.

Lucy only smiled lightly and shrugged, having finished her coffee. She stood and placed her hands on Hawkeye's shoulders, gripping them, and leaned in to his ear. "Maybe when you learn some new—_better_ pick up lines, I'll think about it. Until then, you have no chance, _Pierce_." She made sure to say it loud enough for everyone to hear and strutted off, leaving the table in silence and Hawkeye beet red.

"Don't worry, son. She'll come around soon." Potter patted Hawkeye on the back and left the table as well.

Nighttime came and she'd skipped dinner, not hungry at all for food, but for blood. It had already gotten dark by the time everyone was in the mess tent, which served as a perfect opportunity for Lucy to sneak out and into the wilderness.

Two miles away from the compound, she saw light in the darkness and switched to stealth mode. Her footsteps became light and she moved with the shadows. Close enough to hear without turning on her super-hearing, she heard…. Chinese. So, she had found herself a couple of Chinese. Perfect. No one would miss them. Of course, she'd feel bad after, but it would soon pass.

She pulled up her dictionary of Chinese from what she'd learned over the past hundred years.

_"How close are we to that hospital?"_

_"A mile or so? I dunno."_

_"How big is it?"_

_"Dunno, never been there."_

_"Think we can steal some food?"_

_"I dunno."_

A simple conversation was going on between the two. They were just two normal Chinese, fighting for a cause they thought was right.

Lucy stepped out of the darkness with her arms folded across her chest. She spoke softly, so as to not scare them. _"Two miles."_

The Chinese jumped and pointed their weapons towards her. She held up her hands, showing she was unarmed.

_"Do you two have families?"_

They looked at each other questioningly, debating on whether or not to answer. Both shook their head, still alert. It was perfect. Neither of them had families and it seemed they were only friends to each other. Lucy smiled, eyes dilating as she was readying herself to compel them.

_"Weapons down. Quiet. Not a peep. You two have lived good lives. Now is the end of the road for both of you. I'm sorry."_

She jumped at them, breaking their necks and began to feed on both of them. It was all too easy for the seasoned vampire.

Back at the 4077th, Klinger was on duty that night. Seems she was gone longer than she had planned. She walked back onto the compound and looked down at her shirt, noticing she had a few blood spots. _Shit,_ she thought. Hopefully, Klinger didn't have a mindful eye tonight.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Klinger, you know very well who I am."

"You might be a hallucination."

"Klinger."

"What?"

"I'm tired."

"So am I."

"I want to go to my tent."

"So do I."

"Just let me pass."

"What's the secret password?"

"Klinger, I don't know the damn secret password! You change it every Sunday and Wednesday and you never tell me!" She flailed her arms to make the point get across.

Klinger stood there, shifting from foot to foot—nay, _heel_ to _heel_. Finally, he nodded and shrugged. "All right, fine. You can go ahead. Next time, just ask!"

She heaved a sigh and nodded. "Thank you, Klinger. I'll make sure I will. Good night."

"Good night, Lieutenant."

Lucy passed Klinger and entered her tent.

She could finally sleep soundly now that she had some more blood inside of her system.

* * *

_[I plan on continuing this.]_


	2. Chapter 2

_[Author's Note: Slowly, but surely getting to where I wanted the story to be in the first place.]_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Lucy's shift began in the early morning, and funny enough, so did Hawkeye's. They would be the only two working in post-op while everyone else would be asleep. The blood had yet to take effect on her body, causing her skin to be cold and pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Thinking no one would notice, she set out for a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee, bringing it with her to post-op.

Whenever she hadn't drank any blood in a long time, and she finally did, it took longer for the effects to kick in. Rather than her skin growing warm immediately, it stayed cold. It wasn't always fun, as people who often noticed, thought she was sick at that time. Here's to hoping Hawkeye wasn't one of those people.

She walked in, setting her bowl and cup on the small desk that was in there. Hawkeye wasn't there yet, so it was only a few nurses that were to leave soon.

"Morning, Lieutenant." One of the nurses said, smiling.

Lucy smiled back and nodded. "Morning, Kaylee. Any problems during the night?"

"No, ma'am. Not yet."

"Good."

Lucy tucked a lock of her brown hair behind her ear, taking a clipboard that was hanging from one of the beds and checked what she had. Deeming everything fine, she placed the clipboard back on the hook and sat to eat.

Then Hawkeye walked in, delighted when he saw that Lucy was there before him. "Hello, beautiful." He grinned, standing next to her. Oh, it was a lovely feeling when she heard him call her beautiful.

"Good morning to you too, Hawkeye." Lucy had replied after swallowing what was in her mouth and looked up at him.

"No more hostile Monroe?" Hawkeye teased, reaching over her for a pen.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She hid a smirk and folded her arms.

"Oh, I think you know very well what I'm talking about." His eyes turned soft, leaning against the wall.

And she did. She loved teasing him and he knew it. He didn't mind it, for some reason, either. Lucy finally chuckled and shrugged, leaning back in the chair. "I have way too much fun with you, do you know that?"

She stood, taking her cup with her and walked to the other side of post-op, checking more clipboards. Hawkeye followed not two steps far behind.

A part of Lucy loved that she practically had him by a leash. She could easily make him her puppet and her own personal blood bag... But another part of her had wished she'd never met the man and never accepted his offer of carrying her bags to her new tent just over a year ago. She hated how he followed her around like a puppy and begged for her attention so desperately and hated how he refused to see other nurses just because he wanted her and only her. She hated how much of a gentleman he could be and how cheesy he could be at the same time. And yet she was growing to love him. And she was afraid.

Hawkeye's hand found hers after she'd set the clipboard down again and she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Hawkeye blinked, looking down at her hand.

"Lucy, your hands are freezing—"

Oh, no. "No they're not?"

He put both of her hands in his, rubbing them together. "Yes, they are. And—you look terribly pale. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

She cursed under her breath, knowing it was all too good to be true. "Yeah, I'm fine. I feel fine, Hawk. Honest." She took her hands back from his warm, incredibly warm hands and moved back to the desk.

"You really don't look fine. Can I at least take your temperature? Just to make sure?"

"No!" She protested, but knew he wouldn't give up until he got a reading of her temperature.

"Lucy, you're freezing, you look pale, AND you're starting to get dark circles under your eyes! Please, allow me to—"

"Hawkeye! Please. I feel fine. Leave me alone."

"Lucy." He stood in front of her, looking at her with a hard expression, clearly serious.

"What." She practically hissed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Please."

Lucy stared at him for a moment, silently appreciating his blue eyes, thick, salt and pepper hair, and the sound of his heart pumping blood through his veins. Her expression turned soft, sighing as she gave in. "Fine. Fine! But don't expect to see it above OR below normal."

Sitting down on an empty bed, Hawkeye sat next to her, getting the thermometer ready. She opened her mouth and he stuck it under her tongue. The two of them were silent while it read her temperature. She found another moment to appreciate his face. Oh, how she loved to describe him in her letters to her brother (who was also a vampire). Those few moments were gone when the beeper went off, causing Lucy to shake her head and clear her throat.

The temperature reading was a normal 98.6 degrees. Hawkeye blinked and looked up at her, confused. She shrugged. "I told you I was fine."

"But you're—"

"Beautiful? You're too kind, Hawkeye." She got up, moving away from him. The scent of him was becoming too overpowering and she needed to suppress her senses again. She knew the more she led him on like this, the more he harder he would try. She didn't know what she was doing; she didn't want…. She didn't want to hurt him and yet she was afraid of giving into the temptation and sucking him dry.

Hawkeye stared at her back for a long time, then shook his head and went on with his work. He left her alone for the rest of the day, which is exactly what she wanted. She could finally breath again.

Their shift ended at noon, which lead to Hawkeye asking her out on a lunch date. After having the time to think about what she wanted, and reflect on what her brother would probably say, she turned around to him and placed a single hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beat start to quicken and she dropped it. She didn't need a reason to stay with him. No.

"Hawkeye.." She began, holding her right arm with her left hand. "I can't."

He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. "Can't what? Why?"

"I can't be with you." It hurt to actually say the words.

"..What?" He asked in disbelief. But we had something…

"Listen. I love how hard you try, really I do,"

"But…."

"But… I just can't be with you. We can't.. We can't have a relationship, Hawkeye."

His face contorted, conflicting emotions showing upon his face. "I don't see why not.."

"I know this may sound cliché, but it's not you…. It really isn't, trust me. It's… Well, me. I'm sorry, Hawkeye."

Inside, her dead heart was breaking in half. She hadn't felt this particular feeling in a century, which meant that she really was falling for the human. She started to turn away as the Captain wasn't saying anything, just staring, when suddenly his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She froze in her tracks, not turning around just yet.

"Lucy, please. Just give me a chance. I promise I'm a good guy!" He begged. She hated it.

Turning around, she sighed and looked at him with sad eyes. Maybe if she suggested that he just leave her alone and forget about her… "Hawkeye, I can't. I really, truly can't. I—I suggest just.. Forget about me. Leave me alone and forget about me. We can't be together."

Had she just compelled him, it would have been easier for her and for him. But it wouldn't feel right. Not with him.

"But.. Lucy, I thought we had something going on here? Come on, you can't tell me you aren't possibly—"

She'd had enough of it and snapped at Hawkeye, pulling her arm away from him. It was one of the costly effects of being a vampire. Sometimes one would forget to lower the emotions down a notch and the results usually wouldn't be pretty.

"Hawkeye! I said leave me alone! Just forget about me, all right! It's not going to happen! We are not going to happen. Ever! Do you understand?"

That left him speechless. Utterly speechless. He really did think that they had something going on, and that they had a chance together, if only she'd accept it. Now, that chance was looking slimmer and slimmer, until it was completely gone. She knew she had left him heart broken. She could only hope that he'd forgive her for doing so. She would hate if she just snapped and killed him. Then again, it didn't sound like a bad idea after all….. No. Not to him. I won't hurt him.

"Good day, Hawk."

She left him standing in the middle of the compound, a wave of sadness washing over her. A pro of being a vampire, was that one could turn the emotions off, and that's exactly what she did for the rest of the day. Lucy had turned her humanity off while she wrote to her brother in her tent. It had been too long, and she knew her brother would become upset if she waited too long.

_Brother,_

_I miss you. And I hate you for getting to stay in England while I'm stuck here in Korea for this war. We were supposed to stick together, remember? I'm sure you're sick of hearing this from me, but I will keep on writing it until you come and visit._

_Remember when I told you about Hawkeye? The man who became my first friend, the one who gave me life and hope? Yes, the one who I feared falling in love with. That one, brother. That one._

_Well, it seems that I have fallen in love with him, as today I told him I could not be with him. When I told him that, his face was covered in sadness and I almost forgot to turn everything off, for I felt the same wave of that heart breaking sensation as he for only a split second. Brother, I have not felt that in years. A century, perhaps._

_Brother, I don't know how much longer I can take of this. I'm separating myself from him for the reason that I do not want to drip-dry him. I don't want to take his life, nor do I want to turn him, but I don't know how much I can control myself before it gets too late._

_Ah, enough of my petty human feelings. I know you would probably disapprove. How is England? What are you doing now? Serving the King, I suppose. How is he, by the way? Send my love._

_I miss you, Cole. Please, come visit soon. I need to see you again._

_Yours truly,_

_Lucy_

A night of writing and blood filling her veins again sent Lucy to sleep. She dreaded the next few weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

_[Author's Note: I wrote this entire chapter to Aldo Arechar's "That Will Be The Day". Go check him out. Gorgeous music.]_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Cole Monroe was a Lieutenant General in Britain's Royal Army, though he rarely went to war (most specifically the battle field), himself. One would think he was the Prime Minister, with how close he was with the King. He always found a fascination with England and her kings and queens. He always made sure to stay close to the monarchy while his sister loved traveling around.

When Cole got his sister's letter, he couldn't have been happier. As he walked down the halls of Buckingham Palace, he read her letter, smiling all the time. So she wanted him to visit.

"Be careful what you wish for, dear sister." Cole smirked, neatly folding the letter and sliding it into his inside jacket pocket. He glided into the room where the King could be found in, reading. He planned to tell him he was leaving for a while.

"Your majesty?" He called out, just in case. He heard a grunt and nodded, stepping closer. "I'm headed off to Korea to visit the troops and boost some moral. Are you.. Sure about my offer? It's not too late, you know."

The King spoke with a soft voice, still reading his book. The stutter was still there, but thanks to Lionel Logue, it was not as prominent anymore. "I'm s-sure, Monroe. ..Thank you, though. For everything."

Cole frowned. King George VI was the first monarch, and quite possibly the only one that Cole had ever told his secret to without having to compel them. He was also the only one who Cole grew to love just as much as the people of his country. And the only one who knew the consequences of exposing his secret to the world and who truly understood. If only the rest of the world could understand.

"I understand. I'll be back in a week, your majesty. Oh— and my sister says hello." He saw the King smile, and with that, he left the room to pack some clothes.

Earlier in the year, when Cole had realized that the King would die very soon, he offered to save his life— to turn him into a vampire. of course, the proposal was a radical one, but at least the King thought it through and Cole had respected his decision.

* * *

Two weeks of avoiding Hawkeye had been successful for Lucy, even in the O.R. She was glad that he had gotten the message, but also missed how he would joke with her all the time, especially during surgery.

The entirety of the 4077th had noticed as well. They could feel the tension between the two doctors and could only wonder what happened between them. Colonel Potter and Captain Hunnicut had tried to talk to Hawkeye, while Margaret tried to talk to Lucy. Neither was successful in getting information out as neither wanted to talk about it.

It was when the 4077th was alerted that they were going to get a huge wave or two of wounded that everything would change.

Choppers flew in while ambulances, buses, and jeeps all drove in, bringing in the wounded. Luckily, Lucy had just drained a couple of blood bags and was prepared to face the many wounded soldiers. She, as well as the rest of the doctors and nurses, rushed around the compound, moving from patient to patient, ordering people around to prep them for the operating room.

"Lieutenant!" Someone had called her.

"Mia, what do we have?"

"Open chest wound; it's really bad. His lung has been punctured- it really is a miracle that he's still alive."

The soldier's life wasn't looking so swell when Lucy had the sudden idea of giving the young man some of her own blood. Vampire blood had been known to heal the wounds of anyone who drank it. She could potentially save the man's life if she acted on her thoughts. The question was who would actually notice how much faster he would heal? The Lieutenant had never tried it with anyone just yet. She decided that there was a first time for everything.

"Get him to pre-op— I'm taking him in first."

"But ma'am, he—"

"Captain, just do it!"

Mia did as she was told and hauled him off with the help of another nurse.

Lucy made her way through the mess, when suddenly a bloodied hand shot out and grabbed her ankle. She froze and looked down at a soldier with a leg wound. He seemed to be all forgotten and stared at her with his frightening blue eyes.

"P-please.."

She tried pulling her foot away; she had to wash up and prep for surgery.

"Please—" The man moaned, not letting go.

He had desperation written all over his face. A flood of emotions hit her like a freight train. She immediately knelt, grabbing the hand that was around her ankle and placed it in hers, giving into her humanity— something she vowed not to do anymore. So much for that.

"What do you need, soldier?" She spoke softly; almost everyone was already inside. Almost everyone except Hawkeye, that is. He stood in the distance, watching the exchange with a heavy heart. In truth, he missed her terribly and really needed her.

"If.. If I die... P-please tell my girl.."

"You're not going to die, soldier," Lucy reassured him, lightly squeezing his hand.

"But- Nngh... The pain... It- it hurts so much..."

"It's only a leg wound. I promise you'll be fine. If you don't come out of there alive, I will hold myself personally responsible and I will make sure I tell your girl. But right now, you are _not_ going to die. Just hang in there. The pain is only temporary. You're going to be fine, soldier." She smiled at him and pushed his hair back before standing and calling a corpsman.

"Get this man inside and put him on some sedatives. I don't care, just do it! And make sure he doesn't lose that photo in his pockets."

Hawkeye was still standing at the door, watching Lucy swiftly walk up to him, though she didn't see him—her head was down. So when she got to the door and finally noticed that he was standing there, her breath hitched and she stared into his eyes for a second longer than she wanted to. Hawkeye opened his mouth to say something and that's when she knew she'd stood there too long. She pushed past him and into the changing room. She couldn't talk to him. Not yet.

* * *

Ten hours of meatball surgery and they were still not done. The surgeons and nurses only had a ten-minute break in between waves that would swamp them once again. Lucy was found in an empty, trashed pre-op, sitting with her back against the wall and knees pulled up to her chest, head bowed down when Hawkeye walked in. He stopped, raising a brow at her, but she didn't move. Maybe she was power napping.

She wasn't. She _was_ resting, though. While exhausted, she could still go on for another ten hours without crashing if she had to. Unsure what he should do, he just stood there and leaned in the doorway. She noticed he hadn't said a word and was standing still by what she heard. The silence between them was unbearable. Why couldn't he have just found his own room? She couldn't stand it anymore. Then he said something.

"Hey, you okay?"

It was probably because she wasn't moving, only breathing. "..Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, mumbling the words into her arms.

"..Right. Long night, huh?"

Why couldn't he just leave her alone? She sighed heavily, leaning her head back against the wall behind her. "Yeah. Long night." Finally opening her eyes, she looked up at the man with tired eyes. She wanted to apologize so badly to him; she wanted to joke around with him and spend time with him again. But was it really the best idea? To stay friends with the human she was falling for? She knew all too well what being _just_ 'friends' came to. It came to her loving the other even more so because she couldn't have them. What's there to life, though, if one doesn't take any chances? If things went too far, she could always leave…

Hawkeye took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We have another wave coming in ten."

She bit her lip and nodded, closing her eyes again. She heard him slide down on the wall to sit right next to her and suddenly she became conscious—and aware—of everything, especially the man sitting beside her. She dared not turn her head towards him, even if he did to her.

"Is there coffee?" Lucy found it hard to speak, trying to wet her suddenly dry tongue.

"Yeah. Father's making some right now."

More silence. Seconds felt like hours rather than minutes between them and she found herself relaxing by the minute. She rather liked the silence after the storm.

"Hawkeye."

"Yeah?"

What was she going to say? She didn't even know. She just needed to say the name.

"..Nevermind."

"Lucy?"

Oh, what was it now?

"..Yes?"

"Were you serious? About wanting me to forget all about you?"

Shit. This was exactly what she didn't want to talk about. Not now, at least.

She took in another deep breath and waited for a moment before answering. Was she? Of course she was. But at the same time, she wasn't. Jealousy would only ensue if she saw him with another woman, much less one of the nurses. There was a certain pride she felt in knowing that Hawkeye had refused to go out with any other nurse in the compound when he met her. But then, if he could just forget about her, it would be for the absolute best. She wouldn't hurt him and he could live his life being happy with someone else that wasn't an immortal vampire.

Conflicted with what she felt at that very moment, she answered him the best way she could right then and there. "I don't know."

She glanced up at him and noticed a flicker of hurt come across his eyes. She swallowed and her eyes drifted back down, speaking almost in a whisper, knowing that she'd caused him much hurt. "I'm sorry. I wish I could give you a better answer than that."

She could hear him sigh and shift. "Okay," was all he said.

"I really am sorry, Hawkeye."

"Okay." The Captain said nothing else, making Lucy's heart drop to the floor. She really had hurt him, and it had been bad. Oh, if only she could just hold him right then and there… It's all she wanted to do.

The next second, he got up and dusted himself off, pausing for a moment, and out of the goodness of his heart, offered her his hand. If she didn't know any better, she would have burst into tears right then and there. Instead, she willingly took his hand, and he helped her up. She kept her hand on his for a second longer, ghosting her thumb over his hand—this time, on purpose.

She could stare at his hands for hours. It was one of the things she'd grown to like about the human, his big, strong hands that were also gentle and kind when they needed to be, with five long, gorgeous fingers. He must have noticed something, and she didn't know why, but rather than pulling his hand away from hers immediately, like she had to him when he grabbed her arm, he placed both of his hands around hers, and they stood there in silence for God knows how long. Lucy looked up at him, searching his face while he looked at their hands. What was he thinking about? If only she had the ability to mind read… Maybe he was memorizing her hands like she had already done.

_"Time to get going again, folks. Wave Numero Dos is coming at us!"_ The voice over the PA system said.

Lucy could already hear feet shuffling, getting ready for the second wave of wounded, but she didn't move a muscle. She would make this moment last as long as she could. Unfortunately, Hawkeye wouldn't. Before he let go and left her in the room, he brought her hands to his face, and she wasn't sure if he had kissed them, or just taken a whiff of them. Either way, it threw her into a tizzy.

It was going to be another hard few days, maybe even weeks; she could already tell. Maybe nothing _would_ change after all...


	4. Chapter 4

_[Author's note: I promise I won't be posting these all the time right before the chapter, but….. I'm pretty sure Cold, Cold Heart by Tony Bennett is the theme song for this entire fic. :D]_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_I tried so hard, my dear to show_

_That you're my every dream_

_Yet, you're afraid each thing I do_

_Is just some evil scheme_

_A memory from your lonesome past_

_Keeps us so far apart_

_Why can't I free your doubtful mind_

_And melt your cold, cold heart._

Tony Bennett was one of the best up and coming musical artists of the time and Cold, Cold Heart was one of the top 30 hit songs of the year. She had cursed his golden voice over and over again, because now, it was all she listened to and somehow, the song was so painfully appropriate to her situation. She set a goal in her mind, in that she would meet the man someday and ask him what the hell was wrong with him—nay, not him, Hank Williams who wrote the song for the young singer. She sang along softly to the song while she folded her clothes and said to herself that it would be the very last time she'd play it. It wasn't, of course.

When she finally broke away from her tent and music though, Radar was running up to her. "Ma'am, the shipment is here." _Shipment_… Oh! The blood bags! Wait, she had already gotten her shipment. Could Radar have made a mistake in the order? She shook her head and wasn't going to complain. The more, the merrier.

"Is this an extra batch?" She stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Yes, and no. I thought you might need more and this one has about three hundred bags."

Lucy gaped at Radar. "Three hundred? Are you kidding me? I can't store that much in my tent!"

He blinked, not getting why she wouldn't accept them. "You can keep them in storage?"

"Radar, then they'll be categorized. Numbered. And if any go missing, someone will notice."

"..Oh, I didn't think of that."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and waved a hand. "No matter, we'll just have to store most of it in storage, anyway. But.. Thank you. Now, you and you. Bring one box to my tent, will you, boys?" She walked with them, glancing about. No one was looking and she nodded in approval.

"Thaaank you. Now, both of you forget that you ever did this and get back to your jobs." The sergeants left without another word and went on with their day. More blood bags. She would be having a feast tonight, she knew that much.

* * *

"Pardon me, but do you know where I can find a, ah.. A Lieutenant Lucy Monroe?"

Radar turned around from the truck filled with supplies and blinked, looking over the tall man who had the same blue eyes as Lucy and raven black hair. His accent was what threw him off; he didn't realize they were going to have a visitor. "She just went to her tent, sir."

Cole smiled lightly and looked around the compound. Dusty. Dirty. Certainly not like Buckingham Palace. "I'm sorry, I don't even think I gave you my name. I'm her brother, Lieutenant General Cole Monroe—Royal Army."

Lucy's brother? Radar had no idea she had a brother, much less one with a British accent. "Oh! Well, I think she might be coming back out again soon, sir. She just went to—"

Strutting out of her tent, her mood elated, she noticed the man with the raven black hair with his back turned toward her. She could tell who that figure was from a mile away. "Cole? Cole!" She ran into her big brother's arms and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh my god! Cole! You actually came!"

Cole laughed, tossing his hat to the ground as he caught his sister, twirling her about. "I got your letter and decided I needed a leave from the palace, darling."

Their exchange could be seen from the Swamp, with Hawkeye peering through the screen. "Hey, Beej. You seein' this?"

"I thought you were supposed to forget about her?"

"Tch." Hawkeye ignored the other Captain in the tent and decided to keep watching.

"God, I missed you, Cole! How long has it actually been?" She'd let go of him and picked up his hat, dusting it off for him with the biggest grin plastered on her face. Hawkeye hadn't seen her this happy since… Well, it had been a while.

"Mm, I missed you too, sister. Not as long as times before, I can assure you!" They had once gone seventy years without seeing each other, only writing letters. After that, both of them had vowed to always see each other at least three or four times a year. It was always more than that, now.

"Oh, let me show you to your tent—Radar, be a doll and get his bags, will you?" Hooking her arm through her brother's, they walked to the VIP tent, passing the Swamp in the process.

"Who _is_ this guy?" Hawkeye hissed and pretended not to notice as they walked by while BJ gawked all he wanted. _He_ wasn't the one who would feel awkward, after all. Something stabbed his heart, watching them exchange laughs and smiles. Hawkeye went so far as to think that the man was one of her past flames, which would explain her wanting him to forget about her (which Hawkeye deemed absolutely impossible).

"How've you been, brother?" They'd gotten to the VIP tent, sitting on the cot.

"Oh, you know. Dandy. Living the life in Buckingham palace, as usual. I told the King you said hello, by the way." He began to shimmy out of his coat and unbutton his khaki shirt, leaving underneath a white t-shirt. The news of her brother telling the King that she'd said hello had only brightened her day, her smile getting wider.

"Lucky you. Must feel nice, knowing that your beloved sister is stuck in a war zone." She chuckled, crossing her legs on the cot.

"Oy, you're the one who chose to come here. Speaking of here, how're the boy problems? Have you figured out what you wanted?" Cole spoke all too nonchalantly as he sat back on the cot. He knew the subject was a touchy one—it always had been with Lucy. She would find someone she began to love, and then push them away in fear of snapping their neck or something else equally as horrible. And then, when she realized she would be perfectly fine with them, when she knew she could control herself around them, she would allow herself to love them, and if they still wanted her, they'd love her back and eventually they'd get married and start a life and…. Well, die old together.

Having the ability to actually grow old and die, only to be risen from the dead a few days later or choosing to stay one age and look the same for centuries were just more perks of being a vampire. The latter was what she usually chose when she found a human mate. She never made the other into a vampire, even if they wanted to. She always told them it was hell when you became a vampire. The never ending urge to drink blood, to be able to live forever and watch the ones you love that aren't vampires grow old and die, to be hunted day by day once everyone knows who you are and to always hide your secret from those around you. To have to get your warm skin from the blood that you drink. It was all absolute hell.

Lucy was silent for a while, thinking. She shook her head. "No. No, I haven't figured out what I want yet."

"Oh, come now. Where's that radiant smile you just had on your face? You'll know soon, sweetheart. You always do." He patted her shoulder and smiled lightly at her. She knew he'd said it on purpose.

"Lucy, I'm hungry. Have you got anything to eat around here?"

She silently thanked him, wanting so desperately to change the subject. "The mess tent doesn't hold dinner until 6 and the food there is pretty shitty…" She mumbled, glancing down, still sore from thinking about what she wanted and what she didn't want.

"You know what I mean, sweet sister."

She sighed and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "We just got a new shipment. That's what Radar was doing. And he ordered me a few hundred more blood bags, sooo.. Dinner's on me, I guess."

"Blood bags? Really, Lucy?" He stood, almost making Lucy fall. "Blood bags? For the love of God. Next thing, you'll be telling me you're feeding on animal blood!"

"I'm not going to feed on another human while I'm here, Cole." Her tone of voice was defensive, folding her arms.

"And why not! You could just go for one of the North Koreans or a Chinese, or hell, maybe even one of the nurses or staff here!" He threw his arms up in exaggeration.

"I'm not taking another's life just because I'm hungry, Cole! Fuck! I'm not here so I can just go on feeding sprees! I'm here to _save_ _lives_, Cole. Not destroy them. Blood bags work just as well as warm bodies for me."

"But where's the fun in that! Lucy, we weren't made to be suppressed," he placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "We were made to rule over these puny, insolent beings. We were made to be powerful, to take over cities, states, colonies, countries, even! We are the predator, and they the prey."

Looking Cole hard in the eyes, she retorted with a single question. "Is that why you haven't killed the King yet?" She could see the surprise in his eyes, but it went away just as quickly as it came. He let go of her shoulders and turned his back on her.

"It's not as easy as you think, sister."

"You have him right under your finger tips. So, why don't you just do it. Kill him and become the ruler of England. You know it's _that_ easy, Cole." She knew his little speech backfired. The muscles in Cole's back flexed and relaxed through the khaki shirt. Quiet ensued and he tilted his head upward and laughed.

"Oh, sister. Must we always do this?"

"You tell me, brother."

The mood had left him when he turned to her and was smiling. "Blood bags it is. And are you going to give me a tour or must I ask one of those delightful smelling nurses to do it for me?"

Lucy grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the tent, despite his untidy look, to give him a tour of the mobile army surgical hospital. The last thing she needed was a dead nurse on her hands.

"..And over there are the latrines, and right smack in the middle is… Is the Swamp." She could hear Hawkeye reading an article to BJ all the way from where the siblings stood. Charles was complaining and left the Swamp out of disgust. "And there goes Major Charles Winchester." She nodded from Cole's side. She never could seem to let go of his brother when he visited her. His entirety had always left Lucy with a sense of protection.

"Ah, the Swamp. If you don't mind, I'd love to see if it's really as bad as you say." He smiled down at her, kissing her head. She scowled and hissed at him, digging her nails into his side.

"You're an ass."

"Yet, you still love me."

Groaning as she pulled him along to the Swamp, Hawkeye had seen them coming closer and his heart began to beat faster. Despite his attempt at cleaning up his area, it was still a mess. Lucy rasped her knuckles on the door and opened it after she heard a come in from BJ. She'd have much rather heard it from the other Captain, but BJ would do as well. Hawkeye sat in his chair with a dry martini in his left hand.

"Oh, Lieutenant! What a pleasant surprise." Lucy could tell he was trying to play it cool; she could only wish that she could do the same.

"Captains. This is.. My brother. Cole. Cole, meet Captains BJ Hunnicut and Hawkeye Pierce." Still clinging to her brother, he made her let go as he shook both of the Captain's hands.

"Gentlemen. I've heard so much about you. You especially, Captain Pierce." Cole winked at the man with the salt and pepper hair, standing with his hands behind his back. His eyes wondered over the space before him, noting the dust, dirty laundry, and unmentionables on the floor. He tried not to show how disgusted he was. Hawkeye on the other hand, relieved that the man standing before him was no old flame of Lucy's and surprised that Lucy would even _talk_ about himself, raised his eyebrows and hid a smile.

"Oh, really? Good things, I hope." He dared a glance at Lucy and caught her gaze, but as soon as she noticed him looking at her, she dropped them to the ground, hiding a smile herself.

"Mm, I guess both is a good answer."

"So where're you from, Cole? Mind if I call you Cole? You don't sound from around the states and your sister does… Were one of you adopted?" BJ, curious as ever, began to ask the questions. Lucy looked at him, somewhat accusingly, but BJ just shrugged at smiled.

Cole threw back his head and laughed. "Such a curious fellow. Cole is fine, I don't expect you to call me Lieutenant General Monroe. Well, I'm actually from England, believe it or not. No, no, neither of us were adopted, Captain. We just… Well, she adapted into the American accent and life while I stayed in England. No one ever expects us to be siblings."

"England? You never told me you were from England." Finally talking to Lucy, Hawkeye turned to her, taking a sip from his martini.

She bit her lower lip, raising her shoulders in a light shrug. "You never asked." Her eyes glanced up again to look at him and caught his gaze. His eyes would always shine in the sunlight and she would often get lost in them. As a silent peace offering, she offered a smile and received one in return. Cole noticed the exchange in smiles, grinning himself. He clasped his hands together and looked around.

"Well, this place certainly is as terrible as written in letters," he tried changing the subject. BJ had noticed too and spoke after Cole did.

"Yeah, most people aren't really surprised when they hear about this place. But we still call it home."

Lucy and Hawkeye had still been looking at each other, when Cole gently placed his hand on her arm. "Sister, why don't we have a drink? Show me what you've got."

His voice broke her train of thought and she looked up at him reluctantly. "Hm? Oh, sure, sure. Yeah. Well. Tah."

"I'm sure we'll see more of each other soon, lads."

With that, the both of them left to have a drink in Lucy's tent.

Hawkeye was staring at the door still, his eyes glazing over when BJ interrupted his thoughts. "You don't seem like you're trying hard enough to forget about the girl, Hawk."

"Beej. Shut up."

* * *

Hiding a small refrigerator that contained bags upon bags upon bags of blood in her tent was one of the easiest things she had come to do in her time here at the 4077th. She opened it, grabbing two blood bags and tossed one to her brother. "Cheers, brother." He smiled lightly and held up the bag.

"Cheers. To longevity."

They both bit into the bag and sucked them dry. She got another set and they drank that one too. Lucy was halfway done with her stash when she decided to stop. "You know, this isn't that bad. I mean, it's definitely not as good as drinking straight from the source, but I see how you can live off of it."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes and smiling. "You're just saying that."

"Mm, you're right. I am. But it's as good as any other, I suppose." He plopped himself onto her bed and she sat on a chair next to her desk. The silence between them was welcomed after all they heard was slurping. She looked over the vampire next to her, smiling. Her brother was always there for her no matter what. He would drop everything for her if she ever asked and she would do the same for him. They were family, and that's what family did. And they were vampires, so they had to protect each other.

"How long are you staying?"

"Not long. I need to leave in a day. I've already overspent my time over seas and extended my trip for far too long. His Majesty is waiting." Lucy nodded, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Of course he had to get back to the King of England; from what she had heard in one of his letters, he was to die soon and Cole wanted to be there for his death.

"I understand."

"Let's just enjoy ourselves for now, hm, sister? God only knows the next time we'll see each other again."

She nodded and they began to talk and catch up, laughing all throughout the night until Potter told them to quiet down as everyone was already sleeping. Oh, how she missed her brother, the only one to help her through thick and thin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Cole left early morning the next day and their goodbye was a heartfelt one. Lucy wouldn't let go of her brother for five minutes; they stood in a silent embrace until the driving interrupted and told the Lieutenant General that he was going to be late for his flight back to England. He only nodded and pulled back from his sister, her smiling up at him. "I'll see you later, Cole."

"I love you, sister."

"I love you too."

She watched as the jeep drove off into the sunrise. All right, it wasn't _really_ the sunrise, but the sun _was_ rising and the jeep _was_ driving off.

* * *

Two more weeks had passed without talking to Hawkeye or making any contact with him unless it was in the OR. Lucy was still trying to figure out what she wanted and she could only hope that he would hold on and wait for her to make a decision. It was selfish of her, she knew that much, but she _needed_ to make sure. She started off the nights perfectly fine until she began to tear herself apart, thinking of every single scenario that could go _wrong_ instead of thinking of the ones that could go _right_. She hated torturing herself, but this was one of the things she always went through.

The day didn't start out too swell after Lucy had found out she ran out of blood bags. After that night of drinking ten with Cole, she couldn't slow down and now she was out. It caused her to be in a snippy mood, but she knew she couldn't take it out on anyone around her. What would be her reason? They would only think it was because of the ordeal with Hawkeye and they'd try to talk to her again. She didn't want that—she had enough 'talking', and besides, she couldn't tell them the truth anyway. So, she just played it cool and suppressed her emotions while she headed to the mess tent for lunch.

Now, Hawkeye had been trying to get back into the swing of going out with other nurses, trying to forget about Lucy and how she broke his heart. It wasn't like it was the first time a girl had broken his heart, but for some damn reason, this one hurt harder than the rest. His target today was a certain Nurse Sharon, who had just came to the 4077th and wasn't aware of who he was just yet.

Lucy walked into the mess tent, grabbing an empty tray and getting in line, opening her ears to listen for Hawkeye's voice or laugh. She heard it and it made her smile, even if what was on her tray looked like cow shit. Sitting at the table with her mood increased, she asked where Hawkeye was, thinking that he was at the table. Maybe he was somewhere nearby; it would explain why she found it so easily. No one said a thing and that's when Lucy saw Hawkeye sitting at another table, flirting with a nurse. She could hear him giving her compliments and making her laugh. The table around her tried making small talk as her mood plummeted, gritting her teeth. The Colonel asked her if anything was wrong, interrupting her thoughts and she looked up at him.

"You know what? I'm not hungry. I, uh. I'm just gonna go back to my tent and read. Or maybe shoot some arrows. She liked her bow and arrow. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. Potter and everyone around her nodded slowly and glanced about.

"I'll see you later, guys." She pushed her tray to the middle of the table, not bothering to take it to the trash and left the table when Hawkeye stood from his table, but still flirted with the nurse. As she walked out of the mess tent though, Hawkeye had already sat back down at the table of friends and, in an elated mood, he looked around, noticing no one was saying anything and looking down at their food, playing with it.

"Hey, where's Lucy going? I thought she was just about to eat."

Still, no one said anything. Colonel Potter finally managed to get something out, disrupting the awkward silence between the group.

"Pierce, I think you need to talk to the Lieutenant."

Hawkeye blinked and looked around, still not getting what was going on. "Why, what happened?"

Margaret finally spoke up, snapping at the man. "God, Pierce! Are you that stupid to not see what's going on? What just happened?"

Colonel Potter placed his hand on hers. "Now, calm down. Let him handle this."

But Margaret wasn't having any of it. "She's _hurt_, Pierce. Because you were up and flirting with one of _my_ nurses. Don't you think it's still a bit too soon?"

Hawkeye blinked and placed his hands in front of him in defense of himself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hurt? What are you talking about?"

BJ stepped in. "Upset. She's upset, Hawk. And you need to go talk to her."

Hawkeye was still a bit confused. She'd told him to forget about her, and that's exactly what he was trying to do. So now she was upset? He didn't get it. It was _her_ idea.

"Pierce," The Colonel urged.

"Alright, alright! Fine. I'll talk to her. But after that, I don't need any of you on my back for something I feel like doing." He shoved himself away from the table and walked off in search of the woman who was giving him conflicted emotions and a mixed radar.

"Hey, Radar. Have you seen Lucy?"

"Oh, she went to the shooting range. Better be careful, she didn't seem too happy."

"Yeah, so I hear.." He mumbled under his breath as he left Radar behind.

Lucy was indeed at the shooting range, channeling all of her anger into the arrows that pierced the aluminum cans. What she was angry about, she couldn't bring up. She couldn't bring up the thought of him flirting with another nurse; she couldn't bring up how envious, how jealous it made her feel and how it felt like he was just tearing her heart in half, putting it together, and then tearing it again as if it were a piece of paper. If she didn't know any better, she would have just killed the nurse out of pure anger.

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap and without hesitation, she swiftly turned around and pointed the bow and arrow at none other than Hawkeye himself. The corners of her lips turned up into a snarl, not letting her guard down.

"What are _you_ doing here."

Seeing her turn around so quickly, so inhumanely quickly… Made him jump, holding his hands up in defense. "Calm down. Hey. ..Someone told me I needed to talk to you."

She answered quickly and with venom filled words. "I don't need to talk to _you_."

"Well, that's what Potter said. And Beej. And Margaret. And anyone else who's our friend."

So they must have noticed. Fantastic. Her heart was still racing from the rage burning within while hatred filled her eyes. "Well, they were wrong. I don't need to talk to you and you don't need to talk to me. Capiche?"

Hawkeye frowned, slowly letting his hands rest by his sides again. "What's wrong with you?"

That question set off a whole 'nother load of emotions within her. She lowered her bow and arrow, scoffing. "What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_!" She waved a hand at him.

"I don't—"

She wouldn't let him finish. She needed to get it out. "Flirting with that nurse like—like you're doing it on purpose, like.. Like you're trying to break my heart and rip it out of my chest. Giving her compliments and—and making her laugh like that. What's wrong with _you_, huh? As if it weren't too soon after what I had told you—"

"Hey!" Hawkeye interrupted before she could get in anymore. "I was only doing what _you_ told me, alright! I was _trying_ to forget about you! Do you know how difficult that is? To just try and forget about the person who you decided you would drop everything for if it ever came to that and try and change yourself? Do you realize what kind of hell I've been putting myself through, lately? No, you don't. From the moment I saw you, something inside of me clicked. I never wanted to be with someone more badly than you. I tried forgetting about you without going out with other nurses—I fucking tried! So when I realized I couldn't do it alone, I decided to get back into the rhythm of things. Now, if you're jealous, you had better fucking tell me, or I'll just keep on doing what I was doing, because honestly, I'd rather not see you hurt like this." He paused for a breath of air, eyes already watering from what he was saying and to give Lucy time to think about what he had said.

She had been selfish in thinking that she was the only one hurting in the relationship. He had thought she had already moved on with how well she hid everything and she thought he was only doing it to spite her, despite her never saying anything to him about how she really felt still. Both of them had interpreted each other wrong and this was the conclusion. What kind of relationship was this? Not a very good one. She thought about how his heart began to beat faster, about the teardrops forming at the corners of his eyes when he started to speak of forgetting. He was hurting just as much, maybe even more than her. But she wouldn't accept it; her emotions were still at their peak and she was in a denial stage.

"Lucy, I can't bare seeing you hurt because I love you too much—"

She cut in quickly, shaking her head. "Oh, don't you go there, you never loved me for a second." She sneered, throwing her bow and arrow to the ground.

"Oh? If I didn't love you as much as I do, then why did I volunteer every time to take over your shift in post-op because you worked extra hours in the OR while everyone else went to sleep? Or if I didn't love you so much, then why would I come into your tent and comfort you after you had a nightmare, holding you and rocking you until you fell asleep—and then even still took your shift in the morning in post-op. Because I'm a good friend? Hell, I wouldn't even do that for BJ; I love my sleep way too much. I got less hours of sleep those days than everyone else in the entire compound because of you—because I love you, Lucy. I wouldn't try and hurt you. Believe me when I say that. If I had known that it would have caused this to happen, I wouldn't have done it. But you haven't talked to me in weeks, so I assumed that you were over it and over me, that you didn't want to be friends anymore."

Lucy scoffed and looked away. "I never said I didn't want to be friends still…"

"But you didn't say you did, either. So I took it as a no. Listen, you gotta tell me these things, because otherwise… Otherwise, I'm going to assume that you don't care anymore."

Hawkeye stood there, breathing silently, hands blatantly by his side while Lucy stared at him with tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. She shook her head, backing away. No. No, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen. They were just supposed to live their lives, live happily without each other, without Lucy having the ever-lurking fear of her losing control around him.

She would always go through this, though. This conflicting emotions stage, where she let the fear control what she felt and didn't act upon it or where she felt that her love was stronger than the fear and that she could handle herself. Her brother always said she had more will left in her than him, though she suspected it wasn't true. _What is the point in life, if one does not live?_ A witch doctor had once told her while she was in Africa a very, very long time ago. He had a point.

But still. _But still what, sister? You either love him, or you don't. _

**_I do love him._**

_Then your love for him will surpass all fear of losing control around him. Your love for him will drive your want not to kill him. Because what else can you love when your love is dead in the ground? Sure, you'll get over it, but your conscious will always remind you of what a monster you are because you killed him. You don't want to become that monster, do you, sister? _

**_No._**

_I didn't think so. Now go out there and tell that man that you love him._

The flashback brought on more tears, as she brought a hand to her mouth in disbelief. How could she have forgotten the first time she fell in love with a human being while she was a vampire? She always forgot, like it was meant to happen until she had to make a choice. Only once had she forced herself to move on from the human being. Only once. She had regretted it to this very day.

"I—I'm sorry.. I'm sorry, Hawkeye. For everything. I didn't.. I didn't mean for any of this to happen between us. I didn't mean to fall in love, I—"

Hawkeye stepped towards her, wrapping her in his arms. "Shh. I know. I'm sorry too."

She clung to his green shirt, gasping for air between sobs. "I never- meant for this to happen, Hawkeye—" She tried getting out, burying her face into his shoulder. No matter what she did, she always went back to the fact that when she fell for another, it was forever, and she could never do anything about it. What made matters worse was the fact that Hawkeye was still willing to comfort her, to hold her and to stroke her hair with his long fingers as if she hadn't hurt him at all.

After willing herself to calm down a bit, she sniffled and wiped her nose with the cuff of her own green shirt. She chuckled lightly, noticing the wet spots on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I wet your shirt."

He only laughed softly, bringing his hand to her cheek, thumb caressing it. "It's fine. It'll dry out." He wiped away a stray tear that hadn't gotten the courage to fall and dropped his hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "It's fine."

It was a perfect moment for a kiss, the both of them thought, but they also thought that it would be somehow inappropriate at the time. They just stood there, deeply entranced with each other's facial structures and hairlines. Lucy licked her lips out of habit of hearing the blood rush through Hawkeye's body.

"I'm sorry for hurting you."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry for making you jealous."

Anyone outside of their unit would assume that they were a couple, but those that were inside knew that their relationship was far more complicated for unknown reasons that no one could explain. She bit her lip again as she tossed both of the decisions in the air.

"Hawk?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you still going to go out with other nurses?"

He thought for a second. "Do you still want me to forget about you?"

In truth, she didn't. And that's exactly what she told him. She told him she didn't want him to forget about her and he told her that he wouldn't go out with other nurses. It was like a weight had lifted off of her shoulders and the sun began to shine brighter as if it knew. Maybe slow and steady was the way to do things with this one. He seemed willing to put up with her… More than any other. It was nice. She rest her head upon his shoulder and he held onto her and they both stood there in silence, enjoying the company of each other.

"_Incoming wounded!_"

They both sighed, but still didn't move. She kept listening to his heart beat, forcing the blood to flow through his veins. It was one of the most glorious sounds in the world to Lucy. But as she kept smelling him and listening to the rhythm of the beat, blood began to rush to her eyes and the veins around them began to protrude. Her canines started to lengthen and the hunger inside grew. But it was Hawkeye and this was exactly the thing she was afraid she was going to do. She gasped, trying to subside the hunger for blood. She pulled back and breathed fresh air, still tainted with his scent. Hawkeye gave her a look that asked what was wrong, showing Lucy that he hadn't seen her eyes turn red.

"I, uh.. I'm fine. Let's go before the choppers get here." Then she closed her mouth and her lips turned into a thin line. She needed to drink at least a bag of blood, or else she wouldn't be able to handle surgery and it would turn into chaos.

"Um, hey. I need to go check something. I'll be back in a jiff, okay?" She tried smiling, but it obviously failed and Hawkeye looked concerned again.

"Yeah, sure..

Glad that he hadn't asked any more questions, she bolted off for the storage in search of where they stored the blood before anyone could come in and gather some. Thankfully, it wasn't that hard as the refrigerator was big and white with a big red cross on it. She drank three bags instead of one, hungrily finishing them all and right as the doors opened, she shoved them into her shirt so she could throw them away later.

"Captains." Lucy nodded, pushing past them and swiftly walked to where the wounded were. She could handle herself now, and it wasn't so awkward between her and Hawkeye anymore. Maybe she could get through this war without hurting anyone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When it snows in Korea, you can be damn sure it's close to below freezing. And when it's below freezing, the nurses, surgeons, and staff of the 4077th begin to share tents. Before Potter, it used to be Klinger, Henry Blake, Father Mulchahy, Hawkeye, Trapper, Radar, and Frank, all in the Swamp. There would be extra cots and absolutely no room to step through. Now, it was usually just BJ, Charles, Radar, Klinger, and Hawkeye. Sometimes Potter as well if he got out of his tent in time. This time, though, it was only BJ, Charles, Radar, and Klinger. Fewer bodies meant less heat.

"Where's the Captain?" Klinger asked BJ, shivering while he tried warming up his toes underneath his blanket.

Charles scoffed before BJ could even open his mouth. "Guess."

* * *

Hawkeye was in a tent with none other than Lucy herself. She asked him to stay, as she couldn't very well go into the Swamp with them (even if it meant a much warmer night, what with all those bodies and body warmth being the **_best_** kind of warmth); she'd feel like the odd one out because she wasn't a man… Or a human, for that matter. So there they were, bundled up on her bed, talking through the cold, blizzarding night. If Frank were still there, they would certainly get into trouble.

"How long do you think this storm will stay?"

"Not sure. They usually pass in the morning." Hawkeye mentioned, being an expert at these.

While both were tangled in the sheets together and had all four limbs entwined with each other's, they were still just that bit cold. It was biting them both on the ass. Again, if anyone from outside of the 4077th saw them like this, they'd have thought that they were boyfriend/girlfriend. Official, as someone once said to the Captain and Lieutenant.

They weren't.

As if it were any possible to have the man closer against her body, she tightened her arms around him, rubbing her hands up and down his back, just as he was doing to hers. She had drank ten bags of blood before this, so she knew she would be just fine, so long as he didn't start doing anything stupid.. Listening to his heartbeat, she found that each time she did, the burning urge to rip it out, cut his throat and hang him dry became less and less. She was building up a sort of tolerance, you could say and it built her courage.

Both of them were staring into the eyes of each other, listening to the screeches of the wind outside and the shifting tent. She counted the laugh lines around his eyes, on each, one having three major ones, one having two. She noted his cheekbones when he smiled and how he would get scruffy when he hadn't shaved in two days. She saw how chapped his lips when he licked them constantly, and how smooth they were when he left them alone. Her intake of breath allowed her to commit to memory his distinct smell of fresh linen and a tint of cologne (which she really didn't mind).

Hawkeye, on the other hand, was just so entranced by her sky blue eyes and how they lit up even still in the dim candlelight. He could never take his eyes off of hers once they found their way there. Hers always seemed more different than anyone else's, too. It was something about how her pupils dilated when they did.

A thought crossed Lucy's mind. Did she love him? Of course she did. But why was it so hard to say? Maybe it was because she was afraid of the commitment. Of unveiling her secret to him. She knew he loved her, he had already said it. What if he was getting tired of waiting for her to say it back to him? No, no. She couldn't think like this. She wouldn't. Right now, she'd just enjoy the moment of their unusual friendship. But another thought came across her mind and this one, she acted upon without really thinking twice about what she was doing.

Hawkeye found her lips suddenly on his. His heart flipped and went on a race, but before he could really register what she had done—and mostly why—it was over. She was just looking at him with sly smile and half lidded eyes. Great, the first time she kisses him, he barely has enough time to enjoy it. He decided to return the favour though and gently pressed his lips upon her, pulling back after two seconds just like she did. Lucy chuckled and tucked her head right beneath his neck (which probably wasn't a very good idea, to be honest) to hide the blushing. His lips were chapped, but it was all right.

Waiting for her to say something, he soon realized that she wouldn't, so he just tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

God only knew what time it really was when the both of them woke up, still cold. Lucy woke up first, which was a real blessing. She woke him up with a soft kiss, knowing he wouldn't know what it was, which was another blessing. She couldn't wait to truly kiss the Captain, when she really knew that she could handle herself around him.

"Wake up, sleepy head," she whispered, tracing ancient symbols on his chest out of habit. He stirred, raising his arm over his face.

"Nnh. What time is it?"

Lucy listened to the sounds outside of her tent, the shuffle of feet, the clinking of trays. It was either breakfast or lunch. "Ten? Eleven?" Lucy shrugged, happy and content with where she was at right now.

"Must have been a long night." Suddenly, he remembered the kiss they shared, even if it was brief. Hawkeye smiled at her, pushing some of her hair back away from her face. He liked it better that way.

Lucy nodded, eyes glazed over. "Mm. Stormy night. 's still cold."

Hawkeye rubbed both of her arms underneath the blankets, asking if it was better. She said yes and curled up again beside him. "Much. Thank you."

There was a knock on the door. Both of them groaned.

"Uh, Hawkeye?" It was Radar.

Hawkeye looked at Lucy, asking her with his eyes what he should do. She made a face and leaned up on her elbow to answer him through the door.

"What is it, Radar?"

"Uh—Wait, when did you ch-change your voice?"

"Radar, you can come in," knowing that it was probably still probably in the single digits outside. Hawkeye protested, whispering how he was still in her bed, but she just pushed him back down, whispering back that it wouldn't really matter as they were both fully clothed anyway. And indeed it was still in the single digits, for when Radar opened the door, the cold wind rushed in and light spewed onto the both of them in bed, making Lucy hiss and cover her head with the blanket.

Radar noticed both of them after he had closed the door and gasped. "O-oh. Uhm. If you want, I can come back another time—" He was turning to go, but Hawkeye stopped him.

"Radar, it's _fine_. We're both fully clothed. We aren't that crazy."

Lucy chuckled and uncovered her face again. "Morning, Radar. How'd you know where to find him?"

His cheeks flushed redder than they were because of the cold, smiled and shrugged. "Doesn't take a scientist to figure it out, ma'am."

Of course it would be obvious. She should have known better that people would talk about her asking Hawkeye to stay with her the night.

"What d'you need, Radar?"

"Oh! You're needed in post-op. The Colonel was asking for you."

"Can't he wait? I'm trying to get some snuggles from one of the most amazing surgeons, aside from myself, here."

"He said it was urgent, Hawk."

Hawkeye groaned, turning his head towards Lucy's. She laughed at his pout and pushed his face away. "_Go_, Hawkeye! Before I push you out without your coat and everything else."

He stuck his tongue out and swung the blankets off, making sure to uncover her some as well. It was even more freezing now because all of the warmth had just been sucked away, so Hawkeye threw everything on quickly while Lucy lay there in her bed, watching with a smirk. Radar was shivering as well, albeit not as bad as Hawk.

"Alright, let's go, escort." Radar nodded and waved a hand to the Lieutenant. "Goodbye, Radar."

But before Hawkeye left, he hovered over Lucy, holding himself up by the wall next to her bed. "I'm going to get you for this." Lucy laughed even more, covering her huge cheek-to-cheek grin.

"Whatever you _say_, Hawkeye. Now get **out** of here!" She pushed him away, giggling like a lunatic. Her head hit her pillow again. While it was freezing, and while she was cold, she couldn't feel it like the others did. She didn't feel the chill to the bone. It was strange, and she still hadn't gotten used to the feeling, but she found herself rather glad about it. If there was one thing she didn't miss about being human, it was being hot and being cold.

Hawkeye walked to post-op in a sort of daze—still tired from the night, but feeling as if he was on a cloud because of the beautiful surgeon that seemed to be all his. If he was lucky, she would ask him to stay with her again, but he wouldn't count on it. He hadn't even heard from her the three words he wanted to hear most. If it took this long to hear them from her, then so be it. He would wait. He would take it slow and steady for the one woman who could make him want to change himself.

_[Author's note: Mary; thanks a _**bunch**_! What you said just made my day, when I read it. And thank you to all who read this and keep up with it! Bless you, you make my nights/mornings. 3]_


	7. Chapter 7 (Thanksgiving Theme!)

_[Author's note: Forgive me, I got too far ahead of myself. I wanted to do something with Thanksgiving before Christmas (since hey, I'm in the mood and all). So, hope you enjoy!]_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The glorious, herb filled smell washed over the compound; everyone could smell it. They could only wonder what in the world Klinger was up to in the kitchen. Everyone knew it was Thanksgiving back in the States and everyone knew that they would get a Thanksgiving themed meal for lunch, but what could possibly be taking this long to cook? It was already twelve in the afternoon and lunch wasn't even ready yet. No one suspected turkey, stuffing, or even mashed potatoes. It was next to impossible to get all of it, as the good stuff was always saved for the higher ups over in Seoul. If they ever got a shipment for it, it meant that ICOR made a mistake.

Two o'clock came around; everyone was in their tents or trying to entertain themselves while they knew they were missing out on Thanksgiving and the football games back home. Holidays weren't usually a happy time for the GI's in Korea. Lucy didn't mind it, though. She'd been through hundreds of these—she'd even been there for the very first one in America. It wasn't anything like what the history jocks tell you.

The PA system crackled awake with a voice and a few pots and pans clanking together. It was Klinger.

"Alrighty, folks! If you'd all come to the mess-tent, there's a big surprise waiting for you all!"

November was cold, and when it was cold, people didn't like to stand around outside and mingle, so the quickly shuffled their way to the mess-tent and stood around, wondering why the tables were covered in white tablecloths for lunch time and why the food was still covered. The smell of herbs was still there, but it wasn't as prominent.

Hawkeye and Lucy stood together, his hand nonchalantly sliding around her waist and suddenly she became very aware of the man standing next to her. She gave him a look and half smiled when his hand didn't move.

"Now, I know everyone's thinking of how much they miss home right now… But! Ladies and Gentlemen, we are going to be fine dining in about a minute.. Before I reveal what's for lunch though, I'm gonna tell you what happened. We got this HUGE shipment a couple of days ago. Lots and lots of food. I mean, the only way we could get all of this is if ICOR made a mistake, so….. Everyone, I give you….. Your Thanksgiving feast! You can thank ICOR later." Klinger unveiled the large spread, showing a fully cooked turkey, ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, bread rolls—the whole enchilada! Everyone gasped and ran to the line.

"Wow, Klinger. You really did a great job on this!" Hawkeye exclaimed, grinning as he got his slab of ham and a heap of mashed potatoes, making a crevice in the middle for the gravy.

"Way to boost moral, Klinger." Lucy had grinned at him while she got her food.

After almost dropping her tray, she sat down at the table with the usual's, and as she was about to dig in and everyone was sitting down, Colonel Potter stood and made an announcement.

"Before we start chowing down on this beautiful feast, I'd like to personally thank Klinger for all of his hard work and his ability to keep it a secret from us for so long. In fact, I'm surprised no one suspected a thing! And after we're all done and full, I want us to go around the tables and say what we're thankful for."

People groaned and protested. "It's also an order."

The groaning and protesting stopped. No one would question the Colonel.

The gravy tasted like no other Lucy had ever tasted, as did the ham and the carrots. Carrots! Those were something she missed terribly while in Korea.

"Oh, god this is so good, I think I might just die from the food coma that's going to come after this." BJ remarked while Margaret recalled when the last time she had cranberry sauce was. Even Charles was remotely happy with the food today, which was a miracle in itself.

Hawkeye and Lucy sat across from each other so they could have no difficulty in looking at each other while they ate in content silence. They didn't mind that the others noticed; let them think what they want to think. Only the Captain and Lieutenant truly knew what went on between them.

Only a few people got up to get seconds. The rest just sat at their tables, drinking the rose wine that was also a mistake from ICOR and already talking about what they were thankful for.

"Welp. I know what I'm thankful for," BJ started, leaning back and stretching his arms out. "I'm thankful for Klinger and somehow managing to pull this off."

The table laughed. BJ paused for a moment, growing quiet. "I'm thankful for my wife, Peg. And my daughter, Erin. Without those two, I'd be nothing. I'm also thankful for Hawk, with whom I would go insane without, and Radar, Potter, Margaret, Father, Lucy…. Yes, even you, Charles. Hell, I'm thankful for this whole outfit. Radar, how about you?"

"Me? Oh, gee.. Well, I guess I'm thankful for you guys, too. And for my family, especially my mom and Uncle Ed. Colonel?"

"I'll tell ya, I'm sure as hell thankful for Klinger. ..And this entire table of incredible people. You guys have become like family to me; I wouldn't know what to do without you." The Colonel smiled, looking around the table.

"What about you, Father?"

"Oh, I could go on and on about what I'm thankful for. You should probably skip me unless you want to be here for an hour." He chuckled, waving to Major Winchester.

Charles cleared his throat and sat up straight. "Can't say I'm thankful for much here."

"Oh, come on, Charles. There's gotta be something you're thankful for! Like your best bunk mates~" Hawkeye said in a sing-song voice, a big grin plastered on his face.

"Absolutely not, Pierce."

"Party pooper." Hawkeye stuck his tongue out, causing the Major to roll his eyes.

"Personally, I'm _extremely_ thankful for Charles! Without him, who would Beej and I prank?" The table laughed, all except Charles who just made a face and was looking away.

Hawkeye's face grew soft; looking at what little was left of his mashed potatoes. "I'm thankful for my dad, and Crab Apple Cove, Maine. I'm thankful for R&R. Thankful for Beej, who without, **_I_** would go crazy. Thankful for Frank Burns, who made living a little bit more fun…" He looked up at Lucy, smiling softly. "Thankful for meeting yet another really good friend, who I hope I can keep after the war… Thankful for everyone at this table and then some. How 'bout you?"

It was Lucy's turn now. She could think of several thousand things she was thankful for. "Huh.. I guess I'm thankful for…" _You. Us. This. Being able to live hundreds upon hundreds of lifetimes. Being immortal. Having the gifts that I have. Your smile. Finding you. Your eyes. …__**You**__._ "…My brother. Having a roof over my head. This delicious meal," she looked at Klinger, nodding and smiling. "For this war, in that I got to meet the people I've met." She looked at Hawkeye with the same soft eyes as his. "I'm thankful for friendships that will last a lifetime. And I'm thankful for books. Oh, I wouldn't be very sane if I didn't have my books." The table laughed again, leaving Lucy and Hawkeye just grinning.

"Everyone here at this table is great company and I wouldn't trade you bunch for a thing in the world. Cheers and happy Thanksgiving to all of you." The table raised their glasses to Potter's cheers and downed the wine.

* * *

_[Author's note: Hope you all have a lovely day, whether you're American and celebrate Thanksgiving or not American and, well don't. Happy Thanksgiving from California!]_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Slender fingers ran through the salt and (mostly) pepper hair of Captain hawkeye Pierce while he lay on his bed. The face that belonged to the fingers smiled at how relaxed the Captain was; she hadn't seen him this relaxed since before the first wave of wounded came in. His eyes were closed, enjoying the warm touch of none other than Lieutenant Monroe.

It was December and still freezing cold outside, except if you had a heater and a few warm bodies inside. All they needed was each other. The funny thing about the way Hawkeye and Lucy were acting around each other now was that just before the wave, they had just began to talk again after they had another big spat that lasted a week and two days.

Lucy hadn't fed in a few days and the more she waited, the hungrier and crankier she grew. She feared that with the hungrier she grew, her tolerance level with Hawkeye and how delicious he smelled would disappear and she'd snap his head off or something worse. So, she forced herself to push him away, just like last time.

It didn't work. _Obviously_. Lucy was grateful that Hawkeye hadn't asked any questions when they began to talk again. He never did feel the need to ask Lucy to explain herself, although everyone else did. She just told them that she was tired and it was PMS week. It would always work.

So, there the two sat and lay, in the Swamp with no one else in there. With the man resting his head in her lap, and her fingers running through his hair, she had the time to really think about their relationship. It was an odd sort of friendship they had; everyone noticed it. They were affectionate. They loved to tease each other, hold hands, get close. But neither were ever seen kissing each other, nor had they ever kissed— not until that night in Lucy's tent, anyway. Even then, it had been the only time. Neither of them considered themselves to be an official couple either, in some fear that the words would somehow ruin it for them. So they were just... Them. They were friends. Not even with benefits. Just the bestest of friends that a man and a woman could be. Different than the best friend status that Hawkeye and BJ had (and that Lucy wouldn't dare hurt that relationship, knowing all too well how precious it was to the Captain's).

Hawkeye sighed happily, his eyes opening slowly to look up at the Lieutenant. "You look like an angel."

Lucy scoffed. _If only._ "And you look like..."

His lips curled up in a small smile, making her heart skip a beat. "Like what?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "Like, uh.. Like... ..You look like a knight in shining armor."

It was the best thing she could think of. And he did. _Her_ knight in shining armor.

He opened his mouth and laughed, tilting his head back. "Well.. Thanks."

The laugh was like music to Lucy's ears. She smiled and kept running her fingers through his hair, thinking more.

It was a week until Christmas and she didn't even know what to get him. A thought flashed across her mind. Wait. No. There it was. She knew exactly what she was to give to him. She had brought with her to Korea, a leather bracelet that she always wore, everyday, no matter what. It was a bracelet given to her by oen of the very first American Indians she had ever met. He had said it would bring whoever wore it good luck until they died. Unfortunately, she was already dead, but he meant truly dead. No longer living in the world of the living, dead. She would give Hawkeye the bracelet, something that meant a great deal to her.

And that's when it hit her. In what world would she ever give just a simple _friend_, much less a simple _best_ friend, something that meant such a great deal to her? Call her selfish, but she wouldn't. Not to a **friend**. Because she knew she wouldn't be with someone who was just a **friend** forever.

...That was it. There. Right there. Lucy Monroe had finally come to the conclusion that she couldn't possibly live without the man on her lap. She wanted to be with him. She loved him. She would die for him— **with**. Him. Her love for the man was more powerful than her fear of involuntarily sucking him dry. This. This was the spark that Lucy was waiting for. She knew it would come. She knew it. It was one of the steps. If she could control herself around him, then anything was possible.

Seeing the realization in Lucy's face, Hawkeye quirked his eyebrows and shifted his body. "Luc? What's wro—"

Lucy leaned down on a sudden impulse and kissed the Captain right on the lips, good and hard. His face was scruffy, as he hadn't shaved in days. But she didn't mind. She rather liked it. Stunned, when Lucy pulled back for a second, Hawkeye stared. She chuckled running her hand up his face, since he was upside down.

"Hawkeye Pierce. I love you." She kissed him again, the stunned feeling quickly leaving his body as he leaned up to kiss her better. This time he had to pull back, just to think about what she had just said.

The woman he decided he would change himself for had just told him that she loved him. Sure, he had a feeling that she did, but her saying it out loud was different. It was like heaven's gates had opened up and was shining a light on the two of them. A grin slowly grew upon his face while she just looked down at him with all of the love and affection she could in her blue eyes.

"I love you too."

Hawkeye sat up and turned around, criss-crossed on his bed. "So does this mean we're a.."

A couple? "I don't know." She pondered, her eyes glazing over while she stared at the man. "I don't know. I guess so."

Now that she'd said she loved him out loud... She supposed it was official. Hawkeye grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. She smiled, looking down. How gentle his fingers could be with hers... They both sighed contently at the same time.

"We gonna let the others know so they don't keep nagging on us?" Hawk asked, chuckling to himself.

"Nah. They'll know."

She squeezed his hand and got a squeeze in return. The warm feeling in her heart grew and she didn't want it to ever leave. She hadn't felt this since... Since the last time she met her last.. Husband... She loved him very much, you know. He died of lung cancer.

Lucy looked at the clock. "Hey, don't you have hospital duty right now?"

"Ah. Charles can wait. Let him sit there while_ I_ get to gaze upon my new.. Girlfriend." It just rolled off of his tongue. It sounded so alien to her, the word. of course, she _was_ his girlfriend, and he her boyfriend, but it just.. Sounded like something they would still say in high school. Not adult life. Yet it was still said.

She smiled at him and shoved him away. "Hawkeye, you _need_ to go. Charles is going to be even more pissed at you and then _me_ because you're with **me**!"

"Aw, come on, Luc—"

"I said go!" She laughed, pushing him off the bed, causing him to stand.

"Fine, fine! I'm going! Eesh."

"I'll be here, I promise. It's still too freezing outside."

"Yeah, sure. Shove me out into the cold while you stay here all nice and snug," he mumbled, shrugging his coat on.

"I don't even get a goodbye kiss?"

"Hawk," she looked at him, thinking of compelling him, but thought better. "I said **_go_**!"

* * *

_[Author's note: _

_Next one will be Christmas themed, so I'll be writing it in the next couple of weeks, but I'm going to publish it closer to Christmas. Hope you all can wait that long. ;) In the meantime, I'll be focusing more on school as the semester comes to an end. If anyone has any prompts they'd like to see... I'm open to suggestions! Tah. _

_-L]_


	9. Chapter 9 (Christmas Eve Theme!)

**Chapter 9**

December 24th, 1951  
Christmas Eve

The wounded had stopped coming in big chunks just two days before. It was like the quiet before the storm, or the peace after one.

With nothing to do but make sure their patients healed, the staff of the 4077th made a decision in unison to make the compound a little more homely by digging up all of their Christmas decoration from last year. Despite how freezing it was outside, people still made the effort to put up the lights, tinsel, and popcorn on a string (Father's favourite.)

Then there was the tree in the mess tent, already spilling over with presents from everyone in the compound, home, and presents for the orphans. Hawkeye and Lucy had been put in charge of decorating the tree. The fact that they had been put together without anyone else showed that people were catching on, especially the Colonel.

Just after Lucy had confessed her love to Hawkeye, the Colonel had noticed that something had changed in their behavior, even though no one else did. It must have been his experience, because she really wasn't aware that they were acting different, and _she's_ a vampire.

Potter walked by her that day while she sat alone in the mess tent. Hawkeye was in surgery, dealing with an infection on one of the patients.

"Cold enough for you, Lieutenant?"

Lucy looked up, smiling at the older man. "I've been in colder, believe me. How've you been, sir?"

"Oh. I've been all right. Getting real homesick right about now, but what can ya do." He shrugged.

"You and Captain Pierce?" he suddenly asked. She shrugged lightly.

"We're good," Lucy nodded and smiled as she usually did when she got to talk about the Captain.

"Mm. He's a good man. Glad he's actually sticking to someone this time."

Her smile grew and her cheeks flushed, bowing her head. "Yes, sir, he is."

"You take care of him and make sure he takes care of you. You two are good for each other—hell, I'd even go so far as to say you were _made_ for each other."

The Lieutenant Colonel stared at her commanding officer for a while before chuckling and flashing a grin. "Yes, sir. I will, don't you worry. Ah.. Heh. Thanks. Thanks for that, Colonel."

"It's not every day you find the love of you life."

_Tell me about it_, she thought.

Lucy never asked how he knew. But suddenly she appreciated him more and knew she would never forget him.

"Potter knows," she muttered, trying to untangle some Christmas lights.

"How do you know?" Hawkeye replied while hanging medical supplies on the tree.

"I just do. He talked to me the other day after I told you I loved you."

"Could be he heard us."

"Not likely, Hawk." Finally finding where the knot began and where it ended, the unraveling grew easier for her.

It grew quiet in the mess tent. So quiet she even noticed that the clanking of the medical supplies stopped, which mean Hawkeye, for some reason, had stopped. Her head whipped up, seeing Hawkeye just sitting there, staring at her. For a 300+ year-old vampire, Lucy sure was growing more and more self conscious around the man especially when he stared at her like that. Her cheeks flushed an especially deep red all of a sudden. (The more full she was on blood, she more colour there would be to her skin.)

"W-what? What are you looking at?"

The Captain had a sort of glaze over his eyes, like her beauty was hypnotizing him. In a way, he was. His chin rest in the palm of his hand when he murmured, "You. Red's a good colour on you, y'know."

Lucy simply rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Get back to work, Captain."

"Hold on. Lemme take you in for another few seconds."

"That's an **order**."

"Eugh. Pulling rank on me. That's not fair."

She laughed; it was tinted with darkness. "Neither is life. Now chop, chop. Almost done with these lights."

* * *

It was Christmas Eve **night** and drinks were being had in the Officer's club. Hawkeye, being the great influence he is, got BJ more than a little tipsy. He ended up asking the Lieutenant Colonel to dance. She said yes, of course, just to be nice to the guy. He deserved that much, and more. Thankfully, Hawkeye didn't mind.

Together, they moved their feet and danced in the crowd. The smell of alcohol was on his breath, and while Lucy didn't mind, it was quite strong.

"Y'know. Yoou remind me of my wife. She has pretty blue eyes like you too." His speech was slightly slurred. Lucy chuckled and batted her eyelashes.

"I'm sure your wife is gorgeous. More than me!"

"Y'er damn right, she is! Noo offense."

"None taken, BJ. I'm sure I'm more beautiful than others to.. _someone_." Her eyes flickered to where Captain Pierce sat, talking with Klinger at the bar.

"You two are great for each other. 'm glad Hawk iss finally settling down. How old're you, Luce?"

_384 years old._ She smiled lightly. "Thirty-two."

"Thirty-two! Weeeell, yerra lucky gal." He stumbled, laughing, and Lucy had to catch him. One glance at Hawkeye and he was already out of his seat and right next to them, tossing BJ's arm around his shoulder. Lucy _could_ carry him, but she had to remember that she was posing as a human.

"All right, Beej. Time for beddy-bye."

"Mmm, bye-byeeee~"

One whiff of his breath and Hawkeye made a face. "Definitely time for us to leave."

"You're the one who wanted him to have a good time," Lucy pointed out, helping Hawkeye with his best friend.

Hawkeye plopped the knocked out Captain onto his bed and sat at his feet for a moment of rest. Lucy rest her hands upon his hsoulders and squeezed lightly. She leaned over him, her brown hair falling all over his face. When it was freezing, she liked to leave her hair down. It provided more warmth to her neck and face.

"Come on. Let's talk in my tent. Leave BJ to sleep." She leaned down, pressing her lips softly against his smiling ones.

"Whatever you say."

Hawkeye covered BJ with layers of blankets, not bothering to take anything off, knowing it would be another cold one tonight. The two of them left for the Lieutenant's tent.

"Bbbbbrrrrrrr—" Hawkeye shivered. "How can you not be cold!? It's zero degrees outside!"

She shrugged and let the door close behind them. "I have a good coat?"

"Bull. You have the same one I do."

"I have more body heat than you do?"

"..You gotta be wearin' _something_!"

"Honest I'm not wearing anything special! Now sit down. I need to talk to you."

"About?" he asked as he sat on her bed, watching her wrap another coat around her frame.

She stayed quiet for a moment while setting up the little indoor fireplace. Meanwhile, the wind whistled outside.

"Do you know why I took such a long time to say that out loud?" She knew he knew what she was talking about. And she had to tell him why. Why it was so difficult for her to love fully and completely.

He shook his head wrapping one of the large blankets he found around her, sharing it. "Nope. And I don't care anymore. You've already told me that you love me and to me, that's enough."

She sighed, leaning into him. "You should care…"

The fire crackled in the black little fireplace. She could hear his heartbeat from how she was angled against him. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to ignore it.

"I, um…" she started off, licking her lips. "I have.. I mean, I'm not…" She bit her lower lip. How was she supposed to say this? I've had more husbands than your entire lifetime? Once I say I love you, it's for life? I'm a vampire? No, no. She started again.

"I have trust issues. Always have." That much was true. Because really, who could she trust with her secrets?

Lucy knew he would want more than just that, so she lied. "I was hurt. Many times," Wrong. "By.. Many people. Over, and over again." Also wrong. The lie became fluid. She shook her head and looked at her hands.

She let out a short, harsh laugh as she thought of another perfect lie. "I'm also borderline bipolar." It would explain her mood swings to him. He nodded and asked her something she wasn't expecting.

"How did they hurt you?" His voice was low and almost sounded threatening.

"I don't want to talk about it. It's in the past. Done." More lies.

Hawkeye looked at her, his eyes hard. "Luce, you can talk to me. You know you can. If not me, maybe Sidney Freedman can help. Our local psychologist." He rubbed his hands up and down Lucy's arms.

She didn't know why, but the name threw a shiver down her back. Shaking her head, she wrapped her coat tighter around her body.

"I said it's fine. It's in the past and all I can do is try and forget about it. I'm trying my best, Hawkeye."

"And the bipolar?"

"Is something I cannot control. Besides. It's not as bad and I've talked to enough shrinks in my lifetime."

She leaned against him again and breathed in his scent. It was heavenly.

"All right."

She was grateful that he hadn't asked any more questions and wasn't about to pry anything out of her. She had only had a few husbands that were like this in their own way. That didn't pry her open. But none of them were the same.

Lucy smiled and closed her eyes, listening to his steady breathing.

Her clock ticked. It was midnight.

"Hey, Lucy?" Hawkeye spoke softly, not wanting to disrupt the peace.

"Mm."

"Merry Christmas," he murmured with his lips against Lucy's temple. She just smiled and pulled him down on the bed with her so they could sleep.

She could do this.

* * *

_[Author's note: Something I neglected to do my research on. Lieutenants are actually lower ranked than Captain's. However, Lieutenant Colonels are not. They're ranked above a Major and below a Colonel. I also found that Lieutenant Colonels are often called "Colonel" (hence Henry Blake being Colonel when he was actually a Lt. Col. which I did not know lol) instead of "Lieutenant". Now, I figured it'd be easier to put her as a Lieutenant Colonel rather than change her rank to Major or something right smack in the middle of the fic. And the reason why she's "Lieutenant" rather than "Colonel" is because Potter is already a Colonel and she really doesn't want to comete with him and he understands that. So... There you have it! Hope you enjoyed this one. Next one will obviously be Christmas themed and it's almost done, but I'll post it closer to Christmas. :) ]_


	10. Chapter 10 (Christmas Theme!)

**Chapter 10**

The crisp morning air nipped at Lucy's face. The ground was covered with a light snow and it was colder than the night before. Three nurses huddled around a bin fire. Why they were outside, Lucy didn't know. They saw her and smiled while shivering. She smiled back and waved. Oh. Wait. She was supposed to be cold as well. She forced a shiver and ducked her head, making way for Potter's office as he had called a meeting. Hawkeye left before her, so as to not call attention.

"Ah, Lieutenant Colonel. Good of you to join us," the Colonel smiled lightly.

"Took you long enough," Hawkeye mumbled. Without hesitation, Lucy flicked him on the ear and heard BJ snicker.

Lucy smiled and nodded at the Colonel as if she hadn't done anything. "Sir. Guys and Major." She grinned at Margaret who was still smirking at Hawkeye. Lucy stood behind the Captain who was rubbing his ear, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Now that the gang is all here, as you all know, it's Christmas and Klinger already has another dinner for us. I called you here because I need a Santa."

Voices whispered.

"Colonel, I refuse to dress up as some fat man with a white beard," Margaret retorted, her features defiant.

"I wasn't going to ask _you_. But I wanted you to be here for it."

Last year, Hawkeye had taken the job, not because he wanted to, but because he got the shortest stick.

No one else spoke up. Lucy would do it, but she was a girl— she'd rather play Santa's elf, but only if Hawkeye was Santa and she knew he wouldn't do it again... Unless...

She leaned down and whispered in his ear, her warm breath tickling his neck. Hawkeye juped out of his chair and said with his chest puffed out, "I'll do it."

Everyone just looked at him, surprised. Lucy leaned back with the widest grin she could possibly manage. Colonel Potter just raised his eyebrow at her and she shrugged.

"All right, then. it's settled. Hawkeye, you'll be Santa again this year. Dismissed."

As the gang split up and Hawkeye was walking out with Father Mulchahy, asking him about Christmas carols, Potter placed his hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Lieutenant, I don't know what you told him, but if I could get a reaction like that out of him all the time, I'd pay you to do whatever you just did."

Lucy simply laughed. "Oh, I just told him I'd be Santa's elf."

"Ah, say no more. Thank you again, Lucy."

"It's no problem, Colonel. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some... _elfing_ to do."

Lucy left to her tent to look for some stripped red and white stockings she just so happened to bring along with her to Korea. While she was bent over her chest, Klinger walked in with a package from her brother.

"Whatever's in there is breakable! Says so on the box," he showed her and nodded, tossing her some letters as well. "One from your brother and one from.. Whoever Heathcliff is." An old friendly vampire she once knew. How the hell did he find her? _Cole,_ she thought. She pulled a smile and nodded at him.

"Thanks, Klinger. Hey— you don't happen to have a green tutu, do you?"

"A green tutu? You're not planning on wearing it to the party, are you?"

"I have to. I'm going to be Santa's Elf."

A sly grin spread across Klinger's face and he got that twinkle in his eye that showed he knew something. "Ohoho. Say no more, Lieutenant, say no more!"

Lucy merely rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the smile that was coming on her face. "Mind your business, Klinger and just get me the damn tutu... Please."

"Anything for one of Santa's Elf's~"

Lucy threw a t-shirt at him while he stepped back out into the cold air and laughed at him.

It started getting later in the day and the sun began to set. It was almost time to put on a show for the orphans that Sister Teresa brought around every once in a while. Meanwhile, BJ was in the Swamp with Hawkeye, helping him put on the entire getup.

"Ouch! Beej, would you stop poking me! I'd like to not be bleeding out on the kids, thank you!"

"Well, hold still then! You're like a worm in a can!"

Lucy heard the bickering from her tent and chuckled to herself. Dressed up in her own elf getup, complete with the red and white stripped stockings, a green tutu, a red long sleeve, a green pointy hat and forged elf ears from clay and a bit of coverup, she decided it best to head on over to the two Captain's before they chewed each other's head off— and almost forgot her jacket. She was supposed to be cold— freezing, even. She grabbed her coat, put it on and held it tight against her body while she scurried on over to the Swamp.

She knocked once and before being invited in, she barged in, visibly and audibly shivering (she had to be freezing, remember?). The bantering between the two Captains had stopped as they turned their heads to see who it was.

"Sh-sh-sh-shit. It'sss f-f-f-freezing."

"Jesus, Lucy, what the hell—" Hawkeye pulled away from BJ, placing his own jacket over her.

"Hey, come back here! I'm not done with you!" BJ waved a needle around.

"Lucy, what the hell are you wearing? You're going to freeze to death!" Hawkeye frowned, ignoring BJ for the moment.

Lucy laughed breathlessly and opened the two jackets to reveal her outfit. "Santa's Elf, remember?"

"You didn't have to torture yourself just to—"

"Hawk, I'll be fine. I'm going to be inside most of the time anyway. Go get suited up, you can scold me later," she said with a quick wink, sitting down on his bed. A knock came from outside.

"The Colonel is waiting for you guys. He says to hurry it up."

"Thank you Radar. Tell him we'll be out momen— OW!"

"Well stop moving, damnit and let me sew this up!"

Lucy just chuckled and stood. "I'm going to the mess tent to entertain the little ones while you two hug it out." She left with both hers and Hawkeye's jackets pulled tight around her frame, following Radar to the back of the mess tent. She gave him the jackets and rubbed her arms up and down while wearing her fingerless gloves.

"Thanks, Radar."

A child saw Lucy and pointed, saying something in Korean. The rest of the kids' heads followed suit and their eyes lit up. Their heart beats quickened as they got excited and Lucy had to ignore the sound— and the smell of young blood. She forced the hunger down and put on a big smile for the kids.

"Merry Christmas, little ones!" She grinned, picking one up.

"I'm Santa's special elf! I help him with presents and picking out who's naughty or nice. Have you all been good boys and girls this year?" They all nodded, all with the same childish smile on their faces. It warmed her damned cold heart and all she could do was smile and tell them stories, entertaining them and the rest of the unit who came to the party until Hawkeye got there.

She heard Hawkeye coming to the back, where she had walked in and set the child that was on her lap down. "Ohp! Listen, kids. You hear that?" Someone in the crowd shook a few bells and the kids' heart rates accelerated again. "It's Santa's sleigh! He must be real close!" Hawkeye burst through the back of the tent.

"Ho, ho, ho! Meeeerrrrrry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho, ho!" The kids began screaming.

"Look over there, it's Santa Claus!" One of the nurses explained to a 5 year old.

Hawkeye went around the mess tent, handing out presents to the children while Lucy helped him, holding the sack open and talking to the children.

"I hope you've been a good girl!" Hawkeye kneeled, handing a present to a shy little girl who just took the present and scurried back into Klinger's arms. Klinger laughed while Hawkeye gave his Santa laugh.

Seeing Hawkeye with the children, even if he was dressed up and playing someone else, brought a warm smile to her face. He was great with kids and seeing Hawkeye interact with them wasn't something she got to see every day. Suddenly, the thought of him being a father crossed her mind. It was a lovely thought and it was certainly something she could get used to. _Better not get ahead of myself_, she thought with pursed lips.

After handing out the presents, everyone mingled with the kids and played with them with the toys they received. Hawkeye was sitting on a bench, talking to a little boy when Lucy appeared behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders. She leaned down, whispering in his ear, "You did great, Hawk." Then she pecked his temple, grinning at him. But he only pulled her back down for another kiss, this time on the lips. The kids all squawked out an 'ew', causing the couple to laugh.

"Hey! Not in front of the kids, you two!" Klinger yelled, tossing popcorn at them. They both made faces and agreed to stop until the children and everyone else were gone.

"Hey, how about some Christmas carols!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah, yeah!" Everyone else chimed in.

"All right, all right. Let's see, let's start with... Ah! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!" Hawkeye started to sing, everyone else joining in after the first few words. Lucy sat back, watching the scene unfold. Thousands of miles away from home and these people were still finding ways to keep happy on Christmas night.

Sometime after singing carols, Sister Teresa had to take them back to the orphanage, as she said it was way past their bed time. Reluctantly, everyone, including Lucy herself, said goodbye to the children.

Lucy had become quickly attached to a young boy, about the age of 4. He reminded her of a son she once had. Outside, in the freezing cold, she kneeled and took his small hands in hers.

"I know you probably can't understand me, but.. believe me when I say this won't last for long. The war. Things'll get better and.. And you'll grow up happy and with a wonderful family." She spoke softly and ruffled his hair. "You're going to grow up a real smart, real nice kid. And hey, I'll see you around. Merry Christmas, kid." She kissed his forehead and placed him in the truck, stepping back. The unit waved their goodbyes and hurried back inside, where there was still warm cider.

The mood had calmed down and there were slow tunes being played in the background. Lucy checked her watch. It was nearly ten o'clock. Christmas was almost over. She walked over to Hawkeye and leaned into his ear again, asking if he could get their attention and tell them that she wanted to sing something for them. He nodded, getting everyone to quiet down and turn off the music.

"Everyone, everyone. I want you to thank you for coming tonight— you're all a bunch of great folks. And before everyone turns in for the night, our very special Lieutenant Colonel Monroe would like to sing something for us."

It was quiet. Hawkeye helped Lucy stand on one of the benches, so she could be heard better. She swallowed.

"Right.. before Christmas ended... My family and I would always stand outside and we would sing. It's a tradition that's been in my family for decades and now I want to pass it down to all of you. So... Here you go."

She cleared her throat and closed her eyes.

"_Silent night, holy night,_  
_ All is calm, all is bright_  
_ Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child_  
_ Holy Infant so tender and mild,_  
_ Sleep in heavenly peace._  
_ Sleep in heavenly peace._

_ Silent night, holy night,  
Shepherds first saw the sight  
Glorious steaming from heaven afar,  
Heavenly hosts singing Alleluia,  
Christ, the Savior is born  
Christ, the Savior is born._

_ Silent night, holy night,  
All is calm, all is bright  
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child  
Holy Infant so tender and mild,  
Sleep in heavenly peace.  
Sleep in heavenly peace._"

She opened her eyes and saw tears in a few sets of eyes, including Colonel Potter's and BJ's.

"That was beautiful, Lucy," Father stated quietly, wiping some tears of his own away.

"Agreed. Thank you for that, Lucy."

Lucy turned red and looked down, feeling Hawkeye's arm slide around her legs.

"Merry Christmas," she said shyly.

"Merry Christmas," Margaret said.

Ironically, Auld Lang Syne began to play while everyone wished everyone a Merry Christmas and exchanged hugs, tears of both joy and sadness and kind words. Hawkeye helped Lucy down and she immediately threw her arms around him. He smiled and hugged her back, mumbling in her hair, "Merry Christmas, Lucy."

"Merry Christmas, Hawkeye."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

They shared a kiss and then exchanged hugs with the rest.

"_Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
And never brought to mind?  
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
And auld lang syne.  
_

_ For auld lang syne, my dear,  
For auld lang syne.  
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,  
For auld lang syne._"

* * *

_[Author's Note: Sorry I couldn't get this in sooner. Well, it's still Christmas here in California, so... Consider this my present to you. Hope you all had a wonderful day. Merry Christmas! :') ]_


	11. Chapter 11 (Pt 1)

**Chapter 11 (Pt. 1)**

"Margaret, show me those x-rays again," BJ said underneath his mask, looking up from the blood and guts that he was elbow deep in. It was just another day at the 4077th, just another session of live saving for the nurses and surgeons.

"Damn."

"What's wrong, Beej?" Hawkeye looked up from his patient with raised brows while Lucy looked up as well from helping the Colonel.

"Kid's got a bone in him that isn't even his."

"Can you get it out?"

"Getting it out isn't a problem. Finding out who it belongs to is going to be the problem."

Fourteen hours in meatball, life saving surgery, and they were finally done. A large batch of casualties had come in and the 4077th was overflowing with them.

"All I want to do now is sleep, sleep, sleep!" BJ said as he walked with Hawkeye and Lucy to the Swamp.

Lucy was tired, hell; she was exhausted even, but not as tired as the Captains were, due to her…. Well, being a vampire, obviously.

"I can't even be assed to drag my own legs all the way to my own tent. So I'm just going to stay with you guys for the while."

Then Radar ran up to them all and walked side by side with them.

"Uh, sirs? Ma'am? The Colonel wants to see you in his office."

"Whatever it is, tell him he can wait."

"Radar, _please_. Can't he come to us?" Lucy yawned and almost tripped, grabbing onto Hawkeye before she fell on her face.

"He said it was an order. And it's urgent."

The trio groaned and dragged their feet into the Colonel's office.

"This had better be good," BJ growled and lowered his head.

"Ah, if it isn't our trio. You all did good work in there."

"There better be good reason for this—I've got a date with my pillow and I'm already late." Hawkeye plopped himself on a chair right next to Margaret. Lucy chuckled and shook her head at Hawkeye's little joke and leaned on the wall.

"There is. And I hate to do this to you all, especially right now after we've just gotten through a long hard day, but—"

"Oooooh, no, no, no! Colonel, you can't do this to us!" Lucy just looked at Hawkeye, wondering what in blazes he was talking about, since he obviously knew what Potter was going to ask.

"Now listen, Pierce! I don't want to do this to y'all, especially after how hard you've all worked your asses off, but I've just received a call from the front."

Now the group groaned, all except for Lucy, that is. She hadn't been to the front yet and she was curious as to what the Colonel had to say. He held up his hands and continued talking.

"And they need two of you to go up there as soon as possible. Now—Now, I know you're all working on fumes right now, but I need two volunteers. And if I don't get two volunteers, I'm picking you out myself."

The room grew quiet. Lucy looked around, pursing her lips. She guessed that the best thing, if one didn't want to go up there, was to just keep quiet, and hope to God that you weren't picked. Lucy raised her hand anyway and volunteered herself.

"Sir. I'd like to do it. I'll go. I haven't been yet, and….. Well, call me crazy, but I'd like to experience it—the front, before the war ends."

Potter just nodded solemnly and sat back down. "All right. Any other takers? No?.."

Lucy was slightly disappointed that Hawkeye didn't volunteer as well, though she knew he hated the war anyway. No reason to run straight into the middle of something you hate, even _with_ someone you love.

Potter sighed and looked right at BJ. BJ looked right back at him with wide eyes and shook his head. "Ooooh no, Colonel. I've already been out there, I'm not going again! Last time I did, Korea got to see the worst of me!"

"Well, suck it up son! You're going with the Lieutenant Colonel anyway. Now you both better get some sleep before you head on over there. Dismissed."

Lucy was the first to leave, deciding she had better sleep in her own tent tonight before she had to sleep god knows where. BJ left after her with Charles, groaning and complaining about how the hell he was going to keep it all in. And who other than Hawkeye left last, hanging around for a bit. He'd done some thinking between here and there, and regretted not volunteering to go with Lucy. After all, it _was_ going to be her first time.

"Uh, Colonel, may I speak with you?" He finally spoke up, still sitting where he was, fighting to keep his eyes open a few moments longer.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace. What is it, Hawkeye?" Potter had asked, pouring himself a glass of scotch.

"Uh, well. Seeing as it's Lucy's first time and all….."

Potter raised his brows at that. If this was what he thought it was.. "You'd like to volunteer yourself to go with her. Listen, I understand and all, but BJ's already said he's going. And I'm not sure how comfortable I feel with the both of you going by yourselves…."

"Colonel, it's going to be her first time at the front. She's never been, and you, of all people I'm sure, know how traumatizing it is during your first run. I just.. I think she's going to need more comfort than what BHJ can offer her. She's going to need me, and I want to be there for her."

Potter stared at Hawkeye for a long time. Hawkeye loved Lucy; there was no doubt about that. His motives were clear as crystal to the Colonel, and he admired Hawkeye for them. He finally nodded and sighed.

"Go tell Hunnicutt that you're going instead of him. Now get out of here and get some sleep. God knows you two are going to need it more than us in the next few days." And they would. They so, definitely would. Or Hawkeye would, at least.

The afternoon after, Lucy was placing her bag and medical kit into the jeep, when suddenly, she heard Hawkeye's voice. She smiled' he must have woken up to see her off.

"All right, put it right there—careful, careful! If any of those plasma bottles break, I'm holding you accountable!" He yelled and hopped into the jeep, surprising Lucy.

"Hi, honey! I'm home!"

Slowly, a grin started to spread across her face. "Hawk, what are you doing? Where's BJ?"

"Not coming with you. Now come on, get in. We're already late for dinner," Hawkeye proceeded, like it was no big deal, even though he had his own smile on his lips.

"Wait, what do you mean—"

"Pierce took Hunnicutt's place in coming with you," Potter said, walking up behind her. She turned around, about to protest, but Potter already had his finger up.

"Ahp—he's going with you." Then he leaned in and whispered," He's just looking out for you. You best do the same." And leaned back.

"You two take care, now."

"And no funny business!" BJ teased, waving from the Swamp.

Lucy rolled her eyes and made a face at the Captain. "We're going to the front of a war, not Tokyo." Though, now Tokyo with Hawkeye didn't sound too bad. They'd have to see what they could do about that. She hopped in the jeep and kicked her feet up.

"Don't miss us too much~" And with that, Hawkeye drove off.

On the road, Lucy went over everything that they were supposed to bring, and noted that they had everything that they needed. The drive was mostly quiet, except for some small talk between the two. Lucy knew she had no reason to be nervous, as she knew she could take it, but Hawkeye on the other hand, he was a complete nervous wreck.

"Hawk, if you need me to drive.."

"No, no. I'm fine. I'll be fine once we get there. Don't worry, all right?"

Lucy bit her lip and nodded. "Whatever you say, Hawkeye."

As they got closer and closer to the triage station, the shelling and shooing around them got worse. Hawkeye had told her previously that getting in was never a problem; however, getting out was. They pulled up to the rattled building, practically falling to pieces, and let a few of the medic's take the boxes out of the back seats.

And what did you know, Hawkeye wasn't the nervous wreck that he was in the jeep anymore. He was now, Doctor Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce, first class surgeon in the Army. Of course, the shelling scared him, scared him half to death, but his fear was irrational now. He had to get those boys patched up and send them to a M*A*S*H unit, where they could get better taken care of. And he'll be damned if his fear stops him from saving the lives of these kids.

Lucy admired Hawkeye for his bravery, and thought to herself that he should get the bloody medal of honour for what he's done.

"Come on, Lucy, stop dilly-dallying and get in here!" He yelled, causing Lucy to shake herself out of her small daze. She hopped out of the jeep and followed him in, and just as she walked in….

It hit her like a bus. The smell. The smell of **blood**. And it had finally occurred to her that she hadn't fed in five days. Five days was pushing it, especially when she was around this much blood. She could feel her hunger wanting to take over, her fangs already pushing out of her gums. She hissed and her eyes got wide.

"Colonel!"

She almost didn't hear the man that was calling to her. She almost didn't respond, she was in so much agony, fighting with herself. Lucy was almost not used to being called 'colonel' anymore. The veins around her eyes began to protrude and she had to turn away from everyone, holding herself up against a wall.

"Colonel!" He called out again. She let out a small cry, almost sounding like she was in pain. She could hear Hawkeye getting impatient with her and that's when she knew she had to pull it together. She couldn't lose it in here. _Goddamnit, no! Get out of here! Let me work! I need to save these lives!_ With what willpower she had, she pushed the hunger of blood down and tried to ignore her burning throat. God, it smelled so…. So _good_. And she was disgusted by herself for thinking that, but oh, it did. Her fangs began to retreat back into her gums, and her eyes started to look normal again. The best thing for her to do was to shut down all the organisms in her body, including her lungs, and that's exactly what she did. The downside to that was she would start to look pale in a few hours. She'd need to find something to feed on before then, or risk the consequences.

Lucy turned back around and went to the man who was calling her, looking strong now. She could still feel the burn in her throat, but she ignored it, for the wounded were more important to her right now.

"Corporal?"

* * *

Nighttime came, and the wounded had subsided. For now. Lucy was leaning against a wall and she still hadn't found the time—or the bag, to feed. Finding just one bag and stuffing it in her jacket was too risky, and she was already pale by the time Hawkeye had ordered her to take a rest (despite her outranking him.) Lucy didn't argue with him, finding a quiet corner to be in. And by the time Hawkeye was finished with his check ups, she could tell he was upset with her when he was walking towards her.

"What the _hell_ was that, Luce?"

Lucy bowed her head in shame. She knew she took too long in forcing the hunger down, but it was hard. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Hawkeye also looked tired, for he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He slid down next to her and yawned. "No, I'm sorry. I should have been with you. I know it's hard the first time."

She knew he would think that, because it was her first time at the front, she would be afraid, and put off by how bad it really was. She silently thanked him for it, too.

"Hawk, you were doing what you do best. Saving lives. Being by my side and comforting me won't help those boys. Besides. I'm fine, hm?" She gently nudged him, wrapping her arms around her waist. She looked even paler, and he noticed, for he placed a hand on her cheek, but she only pushed it away. "Really, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You look like death."

The Lieutenant Colonel let out a breathless laugh. Part of that was true. "Hawk, I'm a doctor, I think I pass as okay."

"And I'm a doctor too, and I say you don't. Stay here. I think they left the blankets in the jeep."

Stay there she did not. Most of the wounded that were waiting for the next bus were already asleep, as were half of the medics in there; the rest were doing something or another outside. It was the perfect chance to steal just one bag of blood, and it would have to suffice until they got back home. So, without further adieu (and despite how weak she was), she kicked it into gear and used her super speed (don't laugh, it's really real!) and took a bag of blood, quickly draining it, shoving it in her pocket, and sitting back down, all before Hawkeye was back in the building. She was feeling better already, and she could let her organs work again to pump the blood into her system.

As Hawkeye came back, he stopped, his eyebrows knitting together. Lucy only smiled weakly at him. She _knew_ some of the blood had come back to her face now. Then he shook his head, as if it were nothing, and sat back down with her.

Suddenly, a shell dropped on land nearby, causing the building to shake. Lucy and Hawkeye winced. Lucy, because of how close it was, Hawkeye simply because he was scared. He could let himself be scared now that he was off duty for the time being. Quickly, he draped the blanket over the both of them and they curled up together, Lucy resting her head on his shoulder. Hawkeye held her pretty tight when another fell, this time closer. She let out a breathless laugh.

"Hawkeye, you're—crushing me."

Realizing that yes, he was indeed holding her too tight, Hawkeye let go some. She chuckled and slid her arms around his waist, snuggling closer to him.

"It's all right, soldier. It's okay to be scared."

"Scared? I'm not scared. Don't be silly. I'm too _frightened_ to be scared."

Lucy kissed his cheek and buried her face into his shoulder as another shell dropped. Then quiet came. Hawkeye's eyes were wide as they flitted about the building.

"Y'think they're done?"

She could feel his heart beating faster, pumping the blood into his veins. One whiff of him and she could feel her hunger returning. Just one back wasn't going to cut it.

_You can do this, Lucy. Just…. Stick it out for another day or so. Come on. You signed up for this, it's your own damned fault that you forgot to eat before you left._

Simple. She'd just stop breathing. Make it _look_ like she was breathing and deal with the pain that way. And that's what she did for the rest of the long night and the rest of the long day that was next.

* * *

"Corpsman! Get this soldier onto that bus that's leaving—yes, right now! If we wait any longer, he's going to go into shock!"

"But ma'am, it's already leaving—"

Lucy grabbed the lieutenant by his collar and lowered her voice. "Then go. Get it."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Sergeant, get me another bowl of alcohol. I need to wash my hands again."

"Shit. Lucy, I need your help!" Hawkeye called out as he was getting spurted by warm blood.

When Lucy saw the blood spraying him all over his shirt, she stopped. The fire lapped at her throat, burning at the highest intensity she'd felt in ages. Oh god. She licked her suddenly dry lips and could practically taste the blood from where she stood.

"Lucy, what the hell are you doing, come one! I need your help, dammit!"

The Lieutenant Colonel snapped out of her thoughts once again, almost snapping right back at him. But then she remembered she wasn't here to feed. She had to fight it again. She swallowed and stepped closer, waiting for his orders.

"All right, I need you to hold this clamp right there—wash your hands first! Okay, now hold it there for now."

She did as she was told, grabbing a sponge and sopping up what blood there was. God, if he only knew how hard it was for her not to delve into the poor kid whose chest was gaping right in front of her. If only he knew the internal battle she was fighting. She didn't even know if she was winning, it was so hard to tell. Blood spurted on her this time, and right on her face, too. How convenient. She froze, her eyes turning wide. Thankfully, Hawkeye was too busy on the patient in front of him, trying to stop the bleeding to even notice how Lucy was reacting. She dared to let her tongue dart out and lick her lips, even reaching for whatever else she could get around her lips, (which, granted, was certainly not enough.) If she didn't have the willpower that she had then, that moment that she tasted the warm blood, she would have snapped and everyone in that room would be dead.

She honestly didn't know how she did it, how she survived, but she did. She did it for Hawkeye and she did it for the soldiers that had that slim chance of surviving, if only they got to a MASH unit. She wouldn't forget the past few days and how hard it was for her. This would be in her memory forever.

* * *

_[Author's note: WOW! Hello! Hi! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to publish the next chapter! I got lazy in my writing and the muse sort of left me for a good while. I'm back, though. Thank you for the reviews in the meantime, all. :) ]_


	12. Chapter 12 (Pt 2)

**Chapter 12 - Pt. 2**

Lucy had insisted they leave at night so they could be back in time for the morning shift and any casualties that would come the next day. Hawkeye obviously thought it was the worst possible idea she ever thought of, but went with it because he loved her.

"Come on, Hawk. Let me drive. You can sleep on the way. God knows you've done more than any of us put together ever could."

Hawkeye made a face while he crawled into the passenger's seat. "All right, but just this once. You'd better be careful and drive like hell to get us home."

She climbed into the driver's seat and drove off, despite the protests of the men at triage.

They'd been on the road for two hours already and Hawkeye was sound asleep. She wondered if he could sleep there. Apparently, if one is tired enough, anything is possible...

If only she would have seen the sniper that was 100 yards away. If only she would have seen him setting up a mine and covering it up with some dust and then crawling back into the shadows. If only she could have seen the odd bump in the road in the ill lit night. She would have swerved sooner. But as soon as she saw it- she knew it was too late. She began to scream Hawkeye's name but the mine went off underneath them and flipped the jeep. The two of them were tossed out and the jeep on it's side somewhere.

Lucy's ears were ringing, her vision blurry. _Come on, come on! Work, you!_

She was, of course, talking about how fast a vampire could heal. Soon enough, the ringing stopped but the sounds of shooting was dull. Her vision wasn't the sharpest, but it was blurry no more. She heard Hawkeye's name over and over again through the shooting. It was her voice shouting his name. Oh.

More explosions went off. Seeing something move out of the corner of her eye, she turned her head and saw it was a North Korean, aiming his gun at her. This set her off. The veins around her eyes began to protrude just like they always did and her eyes turned blood red. Her canines grew to a good length before she bared her teeth and jumped at the man, the scared look on his face embedded into her memory forever.

_"You think you can just __**ambush**__ us!? You think you, a petty little __**human**__ can take __**me**__ on? You thought wrong, didn't you? You all did!" _She screeched at them, attacking every single one, draining each of their own blood as quickly as she could before moving onto the next dimwit who shot at her.

They were all down in a matter of minutes. _They're dead, Lucy. Done. You've drained them of their blood and they're dead. They are of no more use to you- you're not a cannibal. Why are you here? Hawkeye... Hawkeye.. Where's Hawkeye?_

She yelled his name once again, positive that she had rid of all of the enemies within range. She heard ragged breathing and knew that it must have been him. The vampire within her had already calmed down since there was no immediate threat and she was quite full of the meals she had. She scurried over to where he was and grabbed a flashlight that was still in her pocket.

"Hawkeye? Hawkeye, wake up!" She shook him some, but noticed some blood running down his head. Then there was a puddle pooling about his abdomen. The smell was powerful. She shook her head and backed up.

"No.." She breathed, covering her mouth. "No. No!"

As far as she was concerned, this was a matter of life or death now. Would she save him or would she kill him?

_What kind of a stupid question is that.. You can do this, Lucy. You can bloody well do this._ She nodded, held her breath, and crawled back to the Captain. She checked if he was breathing- he was. Checked if he still had a pulse- it was there, but faint. Then she checked his eyes with the flashlight- they were unresponsive.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit._ **_"Shit!"_** The Lieutenant Colonel immediately opened his shirt and saw he had a belly wound. He'd been shot. Then she checked his head and saw where it was cut. She cursed again and rage started flowing through her again. No, now is not the time. You've killed them all. She checked his heart beat again- it was fading. It was fading too fast for her.

"No, no, no, no, no. You are NOT going to die on me Benjamin Franklin Pierce!"

Then a thought passed through her head, causing her to freeze. _You could save him. You could save him and he would be perfectly fine._ She could give him some of her blood. It would save him, keep him alive, but only if he didn't die. If he died with her blood in his system, then... Then he'd turn into one of her. She didn't want that. He had so much more to live for. She had to act quick then and get whatever was inside of Hawkeye out of him; that bullet could not stay.

She bit her lip while searching for the medical bag they had brought along. There it was. Opening his shirt more, she flashed the light on his stomach, her fingers ghosting over his bloodied skin. Her breath was still being held. Then she dove in, not caring how dirty her fingers were. He'd be fine, if only she could work fast enough to get the bullet out. And she did, shoving it in her pocket. She wouldn't have to sew him back up, she would just have to give him her blood and then...

Lucy bit her wrist and held Hawkeye's head up. By this time, the moon was kind enough to shine it's light on them. "Drink," she ordered as if Hawkeye could hear her while she pressed her wrist against his mouth. He only needed a little, too, but she wanted to make sure he got it. When she was done, she looked around. They were in the middle of the road, right next to a pile of blood-drained bodies. They were exposed, to say the least, and Lucy had to get them somewhere safe, preferably the bushes. So she dragged Hawkeye to the nearest pile of bushes, making sure they were out of sight. She'd flip the jeep over later, but right now, Hawkeye was her main focus. She pulled him close to her own body and cradled him, silently sobbing.

Lucy sobbed throughout the night, until she was sobless and choking on air. She eventually gave up and turned everything off. All there was to do was wait until Hawkeye healed, and until then, she was of no use, especially when crying. Her eyes glazed over and she hunched over Hawkeye's body, almost in a protective way, and retreated into the deepest part of her mind.

It's how she usually dealt with the guilt that came after killing a group of people, as well. When humans break down, they try and forget. They try to repress the memories. Lucy's tried doing that. She's tried forgetting the faces that she's killed. Forgetting is not an option when you're a vampire. It's one of the punishments, per se, for being one of the devil's creatures. You're not to forget a single thing, for as long as you live.

* * *

Hawkeye gasped for air. His lungs expanding to their fullest. His eyes opened wide and the sun above him blinded him for a moment. As soon as his eyes focused, and he got a baring for where he was at, he looked up and saw Lucy's blank face. Her eyes were completely vacant, and Hawkeye was afraid that she had died right there trying to protect him. He tried sitting up, but couldn't without help. Hawkeye winced and called out her name.

Somewhere, in the back of Lucy's mind, a light turned on. Slowly, but surely, she began crawling out of the back of her mind. She heard her name. Again, and again, over and over. Her senses came back and she could feel the man underneath her squirming.

_Lucy! Lucy, wake up! Oh god, please wake up. Lucy, wake up Goddamnit! Just wake up! Don't you dare fucking die on me! LUCY!_

Her fingers squeezed his arm gently, but not enough to get him to notice. Then her pupils undilated, dilated again, and undilated as they adjusted to the light. And then suddenly her vision came back and she took in a deep breath of air. It was like she was waking up for the first time, just like Hawkeye.

Hawkeye stared at her in amazement. First, he thought she was dead—her pulse didn't even register to him and her eyes were… Nothing was there. She wasn't even breathing. And now? Now she was.. Lucy was alive and well, right before his very eyes. He couldn't speak for a moment, and the two just stared into each other's eyes. Tears sprung in Lucy's eyes in relief that he made it and that he wasn't a vampire.

"Oh, Hawkeye. Hawk, you're alive." She whispered and brushed some of his hair out of his face.

Hawkeye swallowed, but smiled for her. Was he hurt that bad? He didn't even know, all he knew was that he hurt, he was sore, and he could barely get up without help. Something made him look down, and he saw his shirt that was just absolutely covered in blood, causing his eyes to grow wide. Lucy noticed his face and looked to his shirt. Oh. Oops. She couldn't explain then. They had to get home, and then maybe she'd tell him everything. Or she could compel him to forget. She had to think about that one.

"Don't worry about it, it's just blood from…." She trailed off, remembering about the pile of dead bodies in the middle of the road. Someone was bound to find them if she didn't get rid of them. She swallowed visibly and continued the sentence. "From the, uh.. The bodies."

Hawkeye's eyebrows knitted together as he shook his head. "Bodies, what—I don't.."

But before he could say anything else, she was already up and giving him a hand. "Come on, we've got to get back home."

Hawkeye reluctantly too her hand and heaved himself up, wincing still. Lucy held him by his side and draped his arm around her neck.

"You're fine. It's going to be okay."

She didn't know how she was going to avoid the bodies, as they were so blatantly out there. Hawkeye stopped in his tracks, stopping Lucy as well, and she knew the answer to her thoughts right then. She couldn't do anything now.

"L-Lucy. What…. What the hell happened..?" He said in barely a whisper. Lucy swallowed again, staring at the bodies of the men who had tried to kill them. A wave of anger went through her body and for a split second she became that ruthless vampire… It soon passed though, because Hawkeye tugged on her jacket.

"Those bodies?"

"What?"

"Is the blood on my shirt from those bodies?"

Truthfully, no. But then, how was she supposed to tell him that the blood was his own and he almost died but now he's just dandy? She ignored the question all together and got a good look at the jeep on it's side. The wheels didn't look damaged, and it looked in good shape, thankfully. Hawkeye was the one who gave up hope, but she had another idea. She could easily flip it with her vampire strength. The Lieutenant Colonel chewed on her bottom lip, deciding on whether or not to go through with her plan.

"Great. Now what are we going to do?"

The hopelessness that she detected in Hawkeye's voice answered her own question. She wasn't about to let both of them walk all the way back to the 4077th. She placed him back on the ground and crouched with him.

"Hey, what are you d—"

Lucy placed a finger on Hawkeye's lips.

"Just sit tight, I'll be back with you in a moment, Hawkeye."

Then she left him and returned to the jeep. Turning her head around, she looked at him, who was looking at her in_credulously_. Looking back, she shook her head and cracked her neck.

"Here goes nothin'.." She mumbled and grabbed a hold of the jeep that was on the ground. To Hawkeye, it looked like she had flipped it with ease…. By her damn self. To Lucy however, it felt like she was picking up the other side of a wounded soldier's stretcher. Once she had dusted off her hands, she turned back around and saw that Hawkeye was staring at her with his mouth wide open. He had absolutely no idea what to say to that, other than 'how?'

Ignoring his question, she walked back towards him and helped him up while he still stared at her.

"Come on. In you go." She grunted as Hawkeye winced again. Lucy apologized and hopped into the driver's seat, turning the jeep on. It sounded like it was working just fine. Great. She needed to get the hell out of there.

However, Hawkeye, wasn't thinking the same as Lucy. After all, he did just see a girl lift up a god-knows-how-much-it-weighs jeep and flip it over. No normal man, much less woman could ever possibly do that. Unless they were a body building, he guessed. She was no body builder though, and he wanted answers. Hawkeye placed his hand on her arm, making her stop.

"Wait," he pleaded, gripping her arm.

"Lucy, how the hell did you flip this jeep? And what the hell is with the—the pile of dead North Koreans? And this blood on my shirt, is it mine or isn't it!?" He stopped and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just want some answers," he said tiredly.

It pained Lucy. This entire situation pained her. This wasn't how she was supposed to tell him. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to see any of it. Yet he did. And now she would have to answer for herself. She sighed, almost as tired as he was. She would make up her mind about either telling him the truth about what herself or compelling him to forget everything.

Lucy kicked the jeep into gear and looked at Hawkeye with eyes that looked like they had seen too much already and belonged to an old woman.

"I'll tell you when we get home, Hawk. Let's just.. Let's just go home, for now. Okay?"

* * *

_[Author's Note: And I am FINALLY to the point where I wanted to be during this muse-less month. Bless. I'm so excited! What do **you** think's gonna happen?]_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Sparky? Yeah, hi, it's BJ again. No, no—Radar's fine. Listen, I need you to—Oh? Hey, hey, hey, listen. Sparky-! Come on, this is only my second time! ….All right, so it's my fifth time—Well, dammit, it doesn't sound like you're doing your best! …No, I'm sorry. I was out of line. Well, look, if you hear any- ..Thanks, Sparky." BJ hung up the phone and sat back down in Radar's chair, face buried in his hands.

Colonel Potter walked in with Radar, talking about a few missing forms when they saw BJ sitting there.

"Hunnicutt?" Potter queried, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Captain shrugged his hand off and muttered something along the lines of 'leave me alone.'

Potter sighed, lifting his hand and placing it in his pocket.

"Is the Captain all right, sir?" Radar asked quietly, concerned for his friend.

BJ snapped. "Look, I said just leave me along! All right?"

The Colonel and Radar gave him a look and BJ just sunk back down again, looking more tired than ever.

"I'm sorry. I've just.. I've been trying to get a hold of the battalion aid station they were at and…. They said they've already left, and I'm just…. Worried.. I'm worried." BJ sighed.

"I know, son. Give them some time, though. I'm sure they're on their way. Probably ran into some soldiers that needed help, that's all. Now, I want you to get some rest—you've been up for God only knows how long."

"But Colonel—"

"BJ! That's an order."

BJ sulked back to the Swamp, where he wouldn't get any sleep at all.

"Radar, make sure you locate them or something. I'm getting worried myself."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The ride back to the 4077th was quiet. They hadn't spoken a word since and Hawkeye was getting hungry. So, he looked in the bag and found some crackers. Bless Radar for supplying them with extra food. A though occurred to him, and he offered some to Lucy, speaking ever so quietly.

Lucy simply shook her head and mumbled, "I'm fine…. But thank you." And they kept driving in silence. Neither of them wanted to say anything and neither of them tried.

During the drive, Hawkeye would often steal glances at Lucy, but then look away. He suddenly found himself fearful of her, wondering what else he didn't know about her. Wait; was that blood in the crevice of her mouth? Hawkeye shook his head—he couldn't be sure. He couldn't be sure of anything, right now. He noticed how focused she was and wondered what she was thinking about.

Lucy was just focused on getting the both of them back home and quick…. Amongst other things. She was still debating on whether or not to tell him or compel him. If she compelled him, she would feel guilty all her life and he would find out about her some other way. If she just up and told him right then and there…. It might damage their relationship. More than damage, she imagined.

As the jeep drove into the compound, Radar skidded out of his office to meet the two.

"Captain! Lieutenant! Boy am I glad to see you!"

Lucy gave Radar a weak smile while Hawkeye didn't even try smiling at him. He just got out of the jeep and silently grabbed his bags.

"Happy to see you too, Radar." Her voice was tired, but she managed to put some emotion into it as she hugged the Corporal.

"You want me to get your ba—"

"No. I'm fine, Radar," Hawkeye finally said, interrupting him.

Then BJ and Colonel Potter came out of the Swamp, running towards the trio.

"Pierce! Monroe! Where the hell have you two been!?"

"We were getting worried—you two should have been back last night!"

Lucy feigned a smile, lightly nudging the Captain with a cheesy mustache. "Well, mother, we…." Lucy trailed off and looked at Hawkeye, who in turn, looked at her. "We ran into some troubled soldiers," she said, still looking at Hawkeye. "We were in the middle of some shelling, too and it was a tough spot to…. To get out of.."

BJ noticed how the two were looking at each other, and so did Potter, for they both attempted to say something at once.

"Go ahead, Colonel."

"Listen, if there's anything else—"

"I'm tired. I'm going to the Swamp." Hawkeye interrupted and left abruptly.

Lucy frowned, sighed, and rubbed her eyes. "He's just… Tired. We're both very tired. It was a long night."

"Of course, of course. Want me to take your bag to your tent?"

"Yes, thank you, BJ. Colonel. If it's all right with you, I'd like to—"

"It's all right, Lieutenant. Get some rest, we'll talk later."

She winced at that. She didn't want to talk to anyone about anything. She knew she had to, though. She was already making up lies to tell the Colonel.

Back at her tent, she hugged BJ goodbye and flopped onto her bed. God, this was going to be an even longer day and night. Her mind was filled with one thing only: telling Hawkeye the truth. She had to do it. She'd made up her mind. She had to tell him what she was and how she could do those things and—she'd have to explain to him about the bodies. She was damn sure that telling him, now of all times, would just damage their relationship. She was positively sure about that. But now there was no way around it.

Come dinner time, BJ was wondering where his best friend and his best friend's girlfriend were.

"They're back already? I haven't even seen them," Margaret commented while she picked at her food.

"Probably still sleeping," said BJ.

"Mm, Pierce was lying on his bed when I left," Charles hummed.

"BJ, Margaret, I want you two to bring them dinner when you're done here. They've got to be hungry after what they've been through. And see if you can talk anything out of them."

"Yes, sir," they both said in unison.

So there Margaret was, at the door of Lucy's tent, knocking.

Lucy sighed, but kept silent in hopes that whoever it was would go away. The Major opened the door and Lucy pretended to be asleep, curled up and faced the other way.

"Lieutenant, I was just dropping off some dinner—Oh."

Ah, so it was the Major. Bringing her dinner. Lucy sat up and gave Margaret a scare.

"Oh! I thought you were asleep."

If only. "Just resting, Major."

"I brought you dinner." She smiled and put the tray on the side of her bed.

"Thank you, Major."

Margaret lingered around a bit before sitting herself down and looking at Lucy with concerned eyes.

"Lieutenant, I know it was your first time out there at the front, and I want you to know that you can talk to me. About anything. Anything at all, including what happened up there."

This made Lucy smile, though she was still just completely….. Exhausted. She knew she shouldn't be due to the North Koreans she drained, but she couldn't help it.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. But for now I just…. I'm really tired, and right now I think I just need some sleep. After I eat, of course. But thank you. Really."

The Major frowned and persed her lips, but shook it off and gave her a bright smile and hugged her. "Of course. Get some rest. Here's hoping casualties don't interrupt your beauty sleep."

They both chuckled and Margaret left her tent. Lucy was never going to eat the food. She wouldn't be able to stomach it. Not now.

On the other side of the compound, BJ walked into the Swamp with Hawkeye's tray of food.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey. Come on, Hawk. I got dinner for you."

Hawkeye groaned into his pillow and pulled the covers over his head.

"Ooooh, no. Come on, you gotta eat!"

"'mm not hungry.."

"Yes you are, Hawk. I'm not leaving you alone until you eat."

"Ugh, Beej!"

BJ began to whistle. Finally, Hawkeye gave in, threw the covers off and sat up.

"Jesus Christ, don't you ever give up? Look, I just want some sleep. I'll eat something in the morning!" Hawkeye snapped at his friend, surprising BJ.

"Calm down. Eat first, and I promise you no one will bother you for the rest of the night."

Hawkeye glowered at his best friend and said nothing else while he shoveled the food down his throat. Once done, BJ just smiled, patted his head, and took the tray back to the Mess Tent. Hawkeye plopped back onto his cot and pulled the covers over his head, even though he knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. His thoughts were on Lucy and the events of that day.

Eventually, the compound grew silent. Everyone went to bed and the only souls who just couldn't go to sleep was Hawkeye and Lucy. But you knew that already. I told you they wouldn't be going back to sleep.

Lucy tossed and turned in her bed while Hawkeye stared at the canvas of the tent he lived in. Hawkeye was the one who gave up and decided that he would come to her. He quietly wrapped his robe around his body, slipped on his boots, and snuck out of the Swamp, tip toeing it all the way to Lucy's tent.

She could hear the footsteps outside, coming closer and closer to her tent, but she thought nothing of it. She merely brushed it off as someone going to the restroom—until she heard the soft knocks.

"Lucy?"

Her heart began to pound as she recognized the voice. _Hawkeye_. She stayed silent for a few more moments, in hopes that he would go away.

"I know you're awake."

_How!?_

"Please, just let me in."

Another few seconds and she got up, wrapping her own robe around her frame and stood at the door, fingers hovering over the metal bar that would open it.

Hawkeye heard some shuffling until it stopped and wondered why she hadn't opened the door. His own heart was pounding, as he waited. Then she did and the moon shined on her skin, making it look even paler than before. She nodded him in without another word and quickly, but gently closed the door.

Lucy stood facing the door a while longer, not able to look at Hawkeye just yet. She could feel his eyes burning a hole into her back. Now was the time of truth. She had to face it—she had to face _him_. She turned around and saw him through the darkness. She hadn't even bothered to turn on a light. She didn't want to, but she guessed she'd have to for Hawkeye, since his eyes weren't as…. Good as hers. She shuffled to her desk, found some matches, and lit a candle that let off very little light.

"Sit," she waved to a chair next to her bed and sat on her bed, hands in between her legs. She couldn't look into his eyes at that moment, and that hurt him. They were both quiet for some time, not knowing what to say or how to even start anything. He just knew that she was uncomfortable and so was he.

"So…. I guess.. This is where I start talking…" Hawkeye was silent, staring at her, just like in the jeep. "Aaaand explain myself.." Lucy finally looked up at him, her eyes still looking tired. She sighed and began to play with her hands.

"Hawkeye. Before I say anything.. I need you to promise me, that under absolutely no circumstances will you tell _anyone_." With her eyes growing hard, she also tightened her jaw at the same time he did. She saw the faint nod and went on speaking.

_What could be so bad that I'm not allowed to speak of it?_ He thought.

"Since there.. Is no easy way of saying this…." But wait. Wait a minute. There was. There was an easier way to introduce this. Yes….

"..What do you know about mythical creatures? She asked, completely serious.

Hawkeye gave her an incredulous look, completely taken aback by her question. At two in the morning, that was the last thing he was expecting.

"Are you serious?" He asked, even though he knew that she obviously was.

"You've got to be kidding me—"

"Hawkeye."

"What!?"

She brought a finger to her lips, shushing him. They needed to be quiet. She didn't want to wake anyone up or bring attention to her tent.

"What. Do you know. About mythical creatures."

Slack jawed, the Captain was speechless for a moment. He didn't know what to think about this, but decided he should just go with it. She was going to be truthful with him…. Right?

"I, uh. Like what, from stories?"

She made a disapproving sound and sounded impatient when she replied. "They are all from stories. ..But yes, that's a good start."

"Like…. Like unicorns and.. And fairies and Cupid—those kinds of mythical creatures? The Loch Ness monster?"

No, no, no. This wasn't going in the way she had hoped. Sure, those were mythical creatures, but not the ones she was talking about. She needed to turn him back around.

"From the movies. The scary ones."

Hawkeye had to think about that. Mythical creatures from the movies… Scary ones at that. Oh! "Frankenstein. The Invisible Man. Dracula. Those?"

Bingo. "Yes, those."

Seeing this as a game she was playing with him, and despite the extremely serious expression Lucy held on her face, Hawkeye got a little mad. "Lucy, what the hell do those have to do with—"

"What is Dracula?"

He threw his hands about. "I.. Don't know, he's a—he's a vampire. Lucy! What the _hell_—"

"A vampire. Yes. What do vampires do?"

"Dammit, would you listen to me! What the hell does all this have to do with you and what I- ..What I saw?" He hissed.

She bit her lip. This was it; this was the moment of truth.

"It has to do with everything. I'm trying to tell you. Now answer my question: what do vampires do, Hawk?"

Silence ensued instead of him answering the question. There was a sudden ringing in his ear, but it soon went away. Everything? He saw her lick her dry lips in the candlelight. All right. She was serious. But he still didn't..

"They drink blood. They kill. They turn into bats. They're dead. Living and dead. The living dead," he muttered with a dry throat.

"What else?"

"I.. I don't know. They work better at night, get burned by the sun, sleep during the day. Lucy, I still don't—"

She interrupted him again. She needed to get it out and she spoke quickly, almost fearfully.

"We don't burn in the sunlight. Evolution, over the years, has provided us that. Don't turn into bats either. That's a complete myth… However, we do have super strength. And speed. Very light on our feet when need be. We can see better at night compared to humans as well…." She trailed off and grew silent again, watching Hawkeye's face contort into confusion.

Hawkeye had never given second thought to mythical creatures. They were always just stories to him. Just stories. Movies. Fake. No facts that they existed. Just like God. (Of course, he'd never tell Padre that. To each their own.) And here was Lucy, asking him these questions and acting like.. Like she was one of them. But they were only stories… Myths… Right?

Lucy's soft voice brought Hawkeye back to reality. "We also heal quickly. And our blood can heal humans."

"Lucy."

She didn't speak at first. She looked extremely pale in the candle light, her dark hair falling over her shoulders.

"Lucy," he tried again.

"Hawkeye," she barely squeaked out.

"What do you mean 'we'?"

Lucy cleared her dry, _burning_ throat. "I mean exactly what I mean when I say _we_. Hawkeye. I'm a vampire."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The shock didn't come for Hawkeye. Nor did the horror. Or terror. Just tiredness and maybe a bit of confusion, combined with anger.

"You're kidding, right? I mean—you have to be. Are you crazy? Lucy, vampires are just products of _stories_. They're fictional! If you're begging for a section eight, you're barking up the wrong tree."

Lucy could hear the anger and annoyance rising up in his voice. He stood and made way for the door. No. No, no, no. She had to make him believe, make him understand. She stood as well and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Hawkeye, _please_," she begged.

"Lucy, I'm tired. I'm going to bed; I don't have time for this."

"**Dammit**, Hawkeye! What the **hell** do I have to do to make you believe me!? Drain a fucking body and bring you the carcass?" Lucy hissed, tightening her hold.

Her grip was strong around his arm. Strong enough, he noticed, to be a man's. His eyes scanned hers and he saw something in them—sincereness. As soon as he winced, she knew her grip had become too strong and she let go, almost ashamed.

"If you're here, in the middle of a war, of a MASH unit, and you're a vampire… With blood….." The Captain trailed off as he came to a conclusion.

"You came here to kill. To drink the blood of the soldiers. Of everyone—you're here for the blood. Oh god."

Lucy's eyes grew wide. "No, no! No, I'm not—Hawkeye, I've never killed a soldier. I've never— I've never killed _one of us_" she carefully put it. "I might be a vampire, but I'm not here for the blood. Please, understand that."

Her words barely scratched the surface as Hawkeye backed away from her. She kept her distance, knowing that any moment; he could blow up on her. Lucy stood as still as a rock in the middle of her tent.

"I'm not here for that."

"Then _what_?"

"I came here to save lives, Hawkeye."

He only scoffed at her answer, deeming it impossible for a vampire to save lives (despite her saving his, though he didn't know it yet). He was going into a sort of hysteria now.

"There is such a thing as good vampires."

"Says the blood sucking living-dead."

"I suppress my hunger for the blood during surgery. It's… Difficult.. But I do it."

Hawkeye, still silent, was taking it all in.

"I still need it, but I get it from blood bags."

"..Blood bags?"

Lucy nodded. "Blood bags."

"So you steal them."

"…Yes. In a sense."

"When we need them."

"No."

"But you just said—"

"I have my own stash. I don't take it from supply. Radar, he orders—"

"Wait, so Radar knows?"

Lucy paused and sat back down on her bed, leaving Hawkeye standing in the corner. She brought a hand to her cheek and rubbed it.

"Yes and no. I've compelled him not to tell anyone."

"I'm sorry—_compel_?"

Lucy sighed. "Vampires have the power to compel humans. We can make them—you—do whatever _we_ want."

A thought occurred to the Captain. "Am I—"

"No," she answered quickly. "No, you're not compelled. I can't.. I couldn't," she shook her head.

Somehow, somewhere within him, Hawkeye knew that she wasn't lying. He felt a bit relieved by that, causing him to sigh softly. Good. He didn't want to be.

The silence that now filled the tent was more comfortable; there wasn't as much electricity in the atmosphere anymore. Lucy could hear Hawkeye's heart and it was slowing. She took it as a good sign.

Before speaking again, she took a deep breath and raised her eyes to meet his. "You have two choices, Hawk. If you're not comfortable with knowing this.. I can make you forget. Or…. Or, you can live with this information. But I need you to keep it secret. Our existence has been hidden from the human population for centuries. We want to keep it that way."

Hawkeye Pierce had no clue what to say. She was giving him a choice? A choice to forget or a choice to remember and keep it a secret. For how long? He assumed until he died. So, forever. Forever was a really long time. He stared, slack jawed at her.

_Close your mouth, soldier. You'll catch a fly in your mouth_, she thought. God. If only she could read his mind.

With a very arid mouth, his voice came out softly. "I.. I'll have to think about this, Lucy… I mean.." He looked up at her, still almost fearful.

"I mean.. You're—you- ..You're a _vampire_. Something I thought were only stories. And we—Jesus, Lucy. This is a fucking lot to take in. I'm not sure if…" he trailed off again. He was dating vampire, for Christ sake, and he didn't even know. Until now.

Lucy knew he'd need time. She could only hope that she wouldn't lost him in the process.

"It's fine, Hawk. I understand if you want to forget. Hell, I understand if you want to forget even _meeting_ me." Her voice was getting shaky and she silently cursed being able to feel. But she knew if she turned off, bad things would happen. A few tears escaped and were silently rolling down her cheeks, shining in the dim light.

The tears surprised the Captain. He knew virtually nothing about vampires, but somehow he knew that this was a sight.

Lucy brought her hand to her cheeks, quickly wiping the tears away in hopes that he didn't see anything. The clock said three in the morning. They'd been at it for an hour. Hawkeye made no more moves to leave, though he looked beat.

He rubbed his eyes with both hands. "Give me a few days," he sighed heavily.

She nodded, her voice small. "Okay," she said.

Hawkeye finally moved from the corner that he'd slunk to and towards the door. Before leaving, he looked back and saw that she was watching him with sad, exhausted eyes. Old eyes, he would finally call them. Neither said anything else and Hawkeye left, making his way back to his bed.

The next few days would prove to be a great distraction.

* * *

"All right, Colonel. What went down back there?" Potter asked Lucy.

"Sir, please. I told you Lieutenant is fine—there's only room for one Colonel in this camp and it certainly isn't me.

The Colonel shook his head. "You're modesty is astounding. I haven't met someone who'd rather be called Lieutenant than Colonel in all my years in the army. Now come on. Talk to me."

He knew she was avoiding his gaze.

"I told you, we just ran into some soldiers…"

"Horse hockey."

She finally looked up, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Horse hockey. Bull shit. Monkey muffins. I didn't get these birds by acting stupid." He held up his collar.

Was it that obvious to him? She knew he was wise, but… The corners of her lips turned up, producing a small smile. Then it was gone as soon as it happened.

"That obvious?"

Potter only shrugged and leaned back. "I have all day."

Lucy sighed. "We were attacked by some North Koreans. Our—" No. No, don't mention the jeep. "We had to hide in a foxhole. Neither of us had out.. We didn't bring our guns. But then some of ours came by and they fought them off. Our Jeep was unscathed, thankfully. It was just…. I was scared. But it's over now. In the past."

For a while, they were both quiet and Lucy found herself playing with her hands. _So that's what happened_, Potter thought. H e leaned forward and folded his own hands on his desk.

"Luce, I know it was your first time at the front. And I know something like that.. For the first time… I know how scary it can be. I know how scary it is. Look, if you'd like to talk to our local psychiatrist—"

Lucy whipped her head up. "No. I mean.. No thank you, sir. I'm fine now. Just.. I can get over it by myself." She offered another smile. "Really, Colonel. It just took a lot out of me. I'll be fine before you know it."

He still didn't believe her, but he couldn't force anything out of her, so he nodded and decided to let it slide.

"All right, Lieutenant. Dismissed."

"Thank you, Colonel."

* * *

"Avoiding your best friend, now?" BJ said, throwing a pillow at his best friend.

Hawkeye had been reading his newspaper in silence when the pillow attacked him. "Hey! Beej, what the hell?"

"Come on! Let's have some fun today. I want you to myself for the day."

"I'm reading," he said as he raised the newspaper again.

"Hawk, come _on_! We haven't hung out in ages!" BJ threw a dirty sock this time, making it over the newspaper.

"Oh, gross!" Hawkeye tossed the sock back while BJ ducked and laughed.

"Beej, I swear if you don't leave me alone—"

"You're turning into Charles, Hawk." BJ knew that that would get to him.

Narrowed eyes glanced at the mustached bastard that just so happened to be his friend. Those eyes turned light as Hawkeye began to smile, though. "All right. Let's. Anything in mind?"

"Let's go fish."

* * *

Lucy was walking from the mess tent to the post op when she saw the two Captains walking towards a jeep and filling it with things. Once she saw the rod, she knew they were going fishing. Good. That was going to be good for them—for _him_.

Placing the box that contained the fishing hooks in the back of the jeep, Hawkeye noticed a still body out of the corner of his eye. His head whipped around and saw _her_. She was just watching him (or them), hands in her pockets. When she noticed him looking back, she nodded once and let the faintest of smiles appear on her lips. He said nothing and got in the jeep after BJ, letting him drive off.

He wasn't going to lie; there was something thrilling about dating a vampire and him being a human. His heart was now doing little flips as they drove away. What the hell was wrong with him?

* * *

"Caught anything yet, Hawk?"

"Nah. Not over here. How 'bout you?"

"Not yet."

"You _sure_ there are fish in this one?"

"Positive! I went fishing here last time. It just takes some time."

"Beej, we've been here for forty-five minutes."

"..Okay, so it takes longer than that. Break?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Immediately, Hawkeye reeled in his line and set it aside, sitting on the blanket that BJ had set out. BJ followed suit, only he laid down.

"Beautiful day."

"Mm. Gorgeous. The sun almost feels like it's San Franciscan."

Hawkeye chuckled. He made it a goal to visit BJ after the war. He always heard wonderful things about San Francisco.

"So how was the front, Hawk?"

"Oh. Same as always. Rockets with red glare. Bombs bursting in air."

BJ chuckled this time. Hawkeye never failed to joke about something so serious.

"And Lucy?"

Her name brought Hawk to a standstill. All he could think about was the jeep and what she told him last night.

"Hawk?"

"She was scared. But she got through it. She's…. _Strong_," he said as if just realizing it for the first time.

The fact of the matter was that she really was strong. She was a vampire in the midst of one of the bloodiest places one could find oneself in the war. A memory of her standing and staring at the body with an open belly wound flashed back to him. He finally knew what it was that he saw on her face back there. It wasn't fear. It wasn't disgust. It was **_restraint_**.

BJ noticed the look of awe on his friend's face, causing him to quick his brows.

"Haaaawk? Hellooo? Earth to Hawkeye."

BJ's voice brought him back. "Yeah?"

"What were you just thinking about?"

He'd be truthful, mostly. "Just thinking about how strong Lucy is. She's.. She really is amazing. Enough about what happened though. How's Peg and Erin?"

Finally, a subject that BJ genuinely loved. He began going off about how Peg would be cleaning the house when Erin would crawl out of bed, awake from her nap and start making another mess. Hawkeye laughed at that and listened more th BJ stories about his wife and daughter—stories that he read from Peg's letters.

The day ended on a good note and left Hawkeye in a good mood. He thanked his friend for it by buying him drinks at Rosie's Bar when they got back. He still hadn't forgotten about his choices, but at least this would provide another distraction.

* * *

_[Author's note: Praise the Lord for boring math classes. Without them, I wouldn't have written this entire chapter. No joke. Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews. :') Also, Checkerz, your reaction was the best omfg I was laughing so hard when I read it! (It also made my week, so thank you for that. :3) Anyway, thanks again and can't wait to write the next chapter!]_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Over the next few days, Hawkeye and Lucy had very minimal interactions. Even in the OR did they rarely talk. Not that they had to, until Lucy needed help finding some shrapnel.

"Shit… I need some help over here," she mumbled, hovering over the body of some eighteen year old.

"Colonel?"

"I'm busy with this kids' lungs."

"I'm all tied up—literally," answered BJ.

"Don't look at me," Charles said without even looking up.

She was silent for a second before calling his name.

"Hawk?"

He looked up and saw that everyone was looking at him expectantly. They had **so** planned this.

"Can you close up?"

"Yes, doctor," said Kellye as she took over.

Hawkeye switched gloves and moved to Lucy's table. "What do you need me to do?"

They looked in each other's eyes, both nodding in understandment. They were in the OR and the OR called for business.

"Pull back that liver—careful, careful—"

"Luce, I'm a doctor too." His eyes shined with the playfulness that she fell in love with.

"My patient," she replied, the corners of her eyes crinkling while she smiled under the mask.

Little did the both of them know, the rest of the OR had been holding their breath to see how they would react to each other. Even Charles was rooting for them.

Father Mulchahy ran into the OR.

"A batch of new wounded just came in!"

Everyone seemed to curse under their breath.

"Are you good?" Hawkeye asked his voice low.

Lucy looked up at Hawkeye and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

Another nod from Hawkeye and he was discarding his gloves and out the door.

_That_ went better than expected.

* * *

The 4077th had given up trying to understand the relationship between Lucy and Hawkeye. One day they'd be joined at the hips. The next day they wouldn't be on speaking terms. They always seemed to get back together, though. The entire unit _knew_ the two were going to get back together this time. It was the pattern—it couldn't be broken. Right? If only they knew that their relationship was at stakes right now.

* * *

"You know—_Beeeeej_—those two have to be one of the most confusing—" Charles burped. "—Couples I have ever met. I can't even figure them—out."

Charles was as drunk as a skunk and BJ was his partner for the night. The Captain waved his hand in front of his nose.

"Phew, Chuckles. But yeah, I know what you mean. Hawk _does_ love her, though."

"If that _swine_ hadn't gotten to her first, I would have—have treated her like a proper lady," he nodded furiously.

And Lucy walked up to their table in the Officer's Club just to hear that last bit. She decided to swoop in and give him a peck on the cheek. During the process, she just happened to sniff him. Phew. Alcohol with blood in it. Certainly not.

"While I do appreciate the offer, Charles, I do not appreciate you calling Hawkeye a swine."

"Hiya, sailor. Come here often?" BJ teased, flashing his cheesy grin at her.

Lucy nudged him. "Hi, BJ. Where's Hawk?" she asked, looking around.

"Sleeping. You know him in the OR. Always overworking himself. He was exhausted."

Something in her face told BJ she missed him. He wondered what was going on.

Just as he was about to say something else, Klinger walked in with Radar and they both pulled up a chair at the table, waking up a dozing Charles.

"Hiya, Captain! Lieutenant!"

Radar nudged Klinger and said to him in a low voice, "Klinger! She's a _Lieutenant Colonel_!You're supposed to call her—"

"Radar, really. I don't know how many times I need to remind you not to call me 'Colonel". There is only room for one and I'm not it."

Radar blushed and nodded, taking a sip from the grape nehi that Rizzo had automatically given him. "Sorry," he mumbled.

She only chuckled and waved it off. A night with friends was exactly what she needed.

"Hey, Lucy, I just realized. You've been here for a while, and we barely know anything about you."

This surprised her, as she wasn't ever expecting to come up with a backstory. She shrugged; suppose it was inevitable.

"What do you want to know?"

"Where're you from?"

She laughed. "Wow. I tell you one time and you don't even remember. I'm from England."

"What!? I don't remember you telling me!"

"Uh, Lieutenant, if you're from England, and so is your brother, why do you have different accents?"

"I decided to go to college in America. I adapted the accent. I'm a quick learner.

"So you left your brother in England for an education," BJ stated.

"He wasn't exactly enthusiastic about it—and neither were my parents—but that was my choice."

"Wow." Radar smiled, admiring her.

"And med school?" The Captain asked, ignoring Charles' snoring.

"Stanford."

"What!? No way!"

"You went there?"

"Yeah! When did you graduate?"

"Oh, uh… '47, I think."

"Ah, man. What a fantastic school."

She'd been to many medical schools, under many names, all to sharpen her skills as a doctor. The most recent had been Stanford. It was only a coincidence that BJ had gone here as well.

Back in the Swamp, Hawkeye could be found on his cot. If anyone had been watching him, they would know he was having a nightmare.

* * *

Waves. He could hear waves. Where was the ocean? He opened his eyes. It was right in front of him. Only…. It was black. Just like the sky. He looked down. The sand was.. It was sand. Light coloured sand. He looked back up. There was a light on the horizon—but that was it. It was just a white light, right at the horizon. He turned around and saw sharp, black rocks just sitting there. Fortunately, one of them looked like a chair.

_Dark world…._

He could hear footsteps in the sand to his right. It was Lucy. Another pair of footsteps were walking towards him from the left. It was… Lucy?

Whoa. This was getting weird. They both looked the same, provided the world made her skin look paler. They both hung onto his arms and rest their heads on his shoulder. He wondered if a bed would show up.

It didn't. Instead, the one on his left began kissing his neck. It felt amazing. Until she began nipping. At first, it tickled, but then the bites became harder until she actually bit him and drew blood. He immediately pulled away from the left, and still with the right, right beside him, stepped away and held his neck.

"Ouch—!"

The left began to look at Hawkeye as if he was food. Blood began to drip from her lips—had she really drawn that much? She bared her fangs, hissing at the two. The right began to pull Hawkeye away—she hadn't changed at all.

"Hawkeye, we have to go—" she finally spoke.

"Come on!" she kept on pulling him.

But Hawkeye could not move. He could only stare and watch as the left transformed into a monster—a vampire. Her cheeks turned immensely sharp, her skin becoming ghost white. Wings that were torn flapped behind her and her fingers and toes grew, nails also sharp. Her eyes were blacker than space and her teeth sharper than a sharks.

"Hawkeye, _now_!"

And then he ran. He ran for his life in the opposite direction, side by side with the Lucy from his right. The left took flight, screeching at them.

"Come on! Follow me!"

He did not argue as he followed her along the shore. The rocks got closer and closer to the shore as they ran, until they were right in front of them and they had to run through them.

"Follow me!" said the right as she began to run ahead.

For a moment, he was about to protest. Then he heard the left screech again and he began to run faster. Once into the maze of black, sharp rock, he followed as best he could until he lost her and he stopped.

"Lucy? Lucy!" he cried out, not wanting to get lost, or even worse, ripped to shreds. The right popped her head out from some corner and waved him on. But then she was gone again. In a fit of panic, Hawkeye ran towards that way and ended up running into the corner of a rock. It left him with a nasty gash in his left arm. He winced, but it didn't hurt as much as it should have. Oh, the perks of being in a dream.

Once Hawkeye rounded the corner, he came to a stand still. He was now in the middle of what looked like a very small arena made of the black rock. He turned around, but there was no way out. Why would the Lucy that was leading him away, helping him escape, lead him to his most certain death? She wasn't the bad one. He just knew… Maybe the left trapped her as well.

The screech was louder this time, and he couldn't tell where it was coming from. The monster flew down in front of Hawkeye, and had somehow grown to a much bigger size. She towered over him, lifting her head and sniffing the air.

"I can smell your fear, Hawkeye!"

Something about her voice… It wasn't hers. It was.. Mixed. That's the best way he could put it. There was more than one. It scared the living daylight out of him.

"What did you do with Lucy!?" he shouted, voice shaky.

The monster laughed. "I am Lucy!"

Hawkeye's pupils dilated and he shook his head.

"No. No! You're not!"

And before he could blink, their faces were but inches apart. Her big one and his normal one.

"Yes. I. Am."

She sniffed the air again. Hawkeye didn't know it was possible for her eyes to get blacker. She sniffed again and licked her lips.

"I… I smell.. **_Blood_**."

Oh, no. His gash. Right as he was about to make a run for it, she jumped on his back and knocked him down. She turned him around violently and he saw that she was grinning at him with all her sharp teeth. Her breath smelled like something that had been dead for over a thousand years. It also smelled like blood. Iron.

"You are going to taste delicious," she said, her saliva dripping on him.

His fear got the better of him, for he couldn't even move. He could only stare into the eyes of a monster—of his _girlfriend_.

Then, right when she was about to eat him (yes, eat, not feed), everything went black.

He heard a voice. _Her_ voice. It was soft.

"Don't worry. I'm right here. I'll always be here."

* * *

Hawkeye woke up with a jolt, gasping for air. He patted his body and looked around. He was alive. And no one was in the Swamp. Thank God.

He lay back down on his bed and stared at the canvas of the tent. A thought was not forming in the back of his head and nagged at him.

He had to see Lucy as a vampire. Even if it killed him.

* * *

_[Author's Note: Checkerz- hugs! :D Now, let's see what today's math class will produce. Eheheheh.]_


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